‘Bharat Jodo’ not enough to revive Congress’s fortunes

Either way, BJY has been an extraordinary feat of determination and physical endurance. The communication and logistics managers of the Congress have also done a great job. Gandhi seems to have gathered a pretty good crowd. But, as any seasoned political journalist knows, attendance at a roadshow, especially in non-urban India, does not necessarily translate into political support. People often jump out of curiosity at an event that promises to be interesting. And what could be more interesting than Gandhi walking, running, hugging ordinary people? Better but predictable fare than fun at a local fair.

During the visit, Gandhi made some startling statements. For example, “I have killed ‘Rahul Gandhi’, the one you are seeing is not Rahul Gandhi.” These can be put right up there with Zen koans – the apparently meaningless stuff that meditations are told to free the mind. Nevertheless, Gandhi may have earned the fierce respect of many skeptics. He promised he would walk, and he did.

But will this campaign change the electoral fortunes of the Congress party?

No one is taken in by the claim that the Yatra is not about votes, but only about “truth, compassion and non-violence”. To serve the people and whose heart is full of love for every Indian. Core Message: India is currently run by tyrants motivated by hate, and here are selfless protectors. Which is all very well, and Gandhi himself might even start to believe the story, but how will that wash in the elections?

Among the two opposition leaders who were not invited to the function in Srinagar were K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), the Chief Minister of Telangana and Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The reasons are clear. KCR has already declared his prime ministerial ambition and his intention to form a non-Congress non-BJP alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He even changed the name of his party to give it a national flavor—from Telangana Rashtra Samithi to Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

Kejriwal has not made any such announcement, but his aspirations are clear to all. And AAP’s strategy has been to systematically capture traditional Congress voters with whom the party has steadily lost touch.

Mamta Banerjee has been invited to Srinagar, but her chances of going are slim. He refused to attend KCR’s rally in Khammam, Telangana on Thursday. However, Kejriwal appeared. He has nothing to lose by being nice to the chief minister of a state in South India, a region where the AAP has zero presence. In fact, he gained some visibility in these parts and addressed a large audience. Kejriwal might be playing his tricks patiently.

Last week, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said in an interview that Banerjee “has the potential to become prime minister”, telling a TV channel: “For me, (Sen’s) advice is an order.” He has no reason to accept Gandhi’s attempt to project himself through the BJYU as the face of the opposition for the 2024 general elections and is conspicuously silent about the visit, even Even when instigated by the Congress.

Here’s an interesting statistic. In the last financial year, Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress (TMC) got more funds than the Congress. A study of the annual audit reports of all eight national parties for 2021-22 reveals that, although the Bharatiya Janata Party ( 3,289 crore), the TMC, which has so far failed to make any headway outside West Bengal, was in second place. 545.7 crore, ahead of Congress – who got 541.2 crores. This is indicative of the difficult task that the Congress may face under Gandhi’s leadership.

While parliamentary elections are at least 14 months away, nine states, in most of which the Congress is either in power or the main opposition, are due to go to polls this year. The yatra will surely enthuse the party workers. But the truth is that a change in the image of BJYM and Rahul Gandhi may not bring out the many elephants snoozing in the Congress room. Power remains tightly centralized in a family, no matter how much Gandhi portrays himself as above it. The sycophants and servants of the family, whether they have a popular following or not, remain favourites. Factionalism is rampant even in those states where the Congress runs the government. Its grassroots organization has collapsed in large parts of the country. And it seems certain that the leader himself will continue to make statements that are difficult to understand and may lead to action against him by rival parties.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra may have helped him to counter various negative perceptions, especially about his dedication to public life. But in politics, these effects can wear off very quickly. After the journey is over, Rahul Gandhi will need to work harder with all his faculties to achieve what his legs have worked hard to achieve.

Sandipan Deb is former editor of ‘Financial Express’ and founder-editor of ‘Open’ and ‘Swarajya’ magazines