edited by: Pathikrit Sen Gupta
Last Update: January 10, 2023, 16:07 IST
The Congress party has a plan. And this includes Rama, Shiva and Tapasya. (File pic: Twitter @RahulGandhi)
The biggest hurdle is that this Ram bhakt image fits the BJP more than the Congress. In the case of the latter, it appears fanciful and aimed at elections, the same allegation it leveled at the BJP
Rahul Gandhi’s ascetic look wearing saffron-coloured holy ash or Vibhuti on his forehead during the Bharat Jodo Yatra has given the Congress ‘confidence’ that in 2024 it can take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the race for ‘Hindutva’. vote’.
Learning from the long-standing Antony Committee report of 2019, which cited its failure to capture these votes as a reason for its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party has a plan. And this includes Rama, Shiva and Tapasya.
Look at the signs. First the appearance of an ascetic (ascetic) and something like Rahul Gandhi Keeps addressing himself as. And so does his party. It is attached to the T-shirt look. Taking advantage of the attention this outfit has garnered, the Congress has decided to twist the barbs to its advantage. At least it’s trying. An ascetic is one who is on a mission, tapasya (penance or intense meditation), and does not care for worldly pain and pleasure. Bharat Jodo Yatra is trying to send the message that Rahul Gandhi is not feeling cold. He said, “I am not afraid of the cold. Narendra Modi The Congress wants to remind voters who were meditating in the Kedarnath cave.
Not only this. All senior leaders have been warned not to make any statements that polarize the society and help the BJP portray the Congress as an anti-Hindu party. For example, Salman Khurshid’s comment comparing Rahul Gandhi to Ram initially left the party in a quandary. Those who want to advance the narrative of Hindutva in the Congress were quite comfortable with this comment earlier. But the balancers in the party felt that it could backfire. Hence the subtle distancing from Khurshid’s remarks and also the senior leader clarifying his remarks later.
Moreover, most Congress leaders, especially those facing elections soon, have been ‘advised’ to join the Ram Mandir narrative. Recently, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who is close to the Gandhi family, inaugurated a Ram statue in his state. He said, unlike the BJP, which used Ram as an election tool, he and his party were true Ram devotees. Again, it’s all part of a plan. Sources say that many more state units will unveil similar Ram idols or make donations for the Ram temple. The focus will be on states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar where the Congress feels the Hindutva edge matters. Ahead of the 2024 elections, posters of Rahul Gandhi in saffron color and as an ascetic will be circulated everywhere.
The entire plan and strategy is to ensure that the BJP looks like a party that is electorally Ram bhakt. So when Home Minister Amit Shah promised at a rally in poll-bound Tripura that the Ram temple in Ayodhya would open on January 1, 2024, the Congress, led by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, asked, “Why didn’t a priest announce the date?” ? Why is BJP anti-Hindu?”
Despite the new look of the Ram Bhakt Congress, the jury is still out on whether it will work for it. There are cynics within the party as well. He asks, “Is this not interfering and clashing with our secular image? What about the Muslim vote bank which is shifting to TMC and SP, though Congress still has some hold on them? Rahul Gandhi’s election What about the region Wayanad which has a sizeable minority vote bank? Will Tapaswi Rahul’s projection hurt them?”
But the biggest hurdle is that this Ram bhakt image fits more on the BJP than the Congress. In the case of the latter, it appears fanciful and aimed at elections, the same allegation it leveled against the BJP.
A senior Congress leader told News18, “No one can match or match the PM’s image as a Hindu icon, neither the BJP’s.” It feels natural to them because it is what they and they have been doing for years. We’re doing it now.”
But Congress strategists are convinced that 2024 with Ram can produce a miraculous result. However, more moderates in the party say, “Hope it doesn’t turn into a ‘na maya mili na Ram’ situation.”
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