when Rahul Gandhi arrived in Kanyakumari on September 7 last year. The Bharat Jodho Yatra, which embarked on an ambitious cross-country march, was met with skepticism by those around it, especially the Congress party. His critics, both inside and outside parliament, saw him as an “unserious” and “reluctant” politician. The obvious question on everyone’s mind was whether he would be able to complete the Yatra.
At the time, Congress was also mired in uncertainty as it braced for turmoil over the selection of the next party president. In previous months, the party had experienced several high-profile defections and humiliating defeats in parliamentary elections. Rahul had an enviable task ahead of him. He must repair his tarnished image and turn around his party’s disastrous electoral fortunes.
The Congress was keen for Rahul to set a narrative against the Bharatiya Janata Party. And as the Yatra entered the northern plains, he formulated the slogan that he was struggling to open a store of love in a market of hate. This, he thought, was powerful. Congress recognized the slogan “all-encompassing”.
The impact of Rahul’s 4,018 km yatra (covering 75 districts and 76 Lok Sabha constituencies across 12 states and two Union Territories (UTs) over 145 days) on electoral politics is debated. There is room for And so is the narrative against the politics of hate he has sought to set over the past year.
The Congress claims that the yatra contributed to the party’s victories in assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh in December last year and Karnataka in May. It was also troubling that the party blamed its worst defeat in Gujarat, which along with Himachal Pradesh went to polls at a time when the Yatra was moving from south to north, on local factors.
Many in Congress feel that the Yatra did two things. One is that it not only enhanced Rahul’s moral standing within the party and increased his acceptability among the people, but also helped him gain respect from senior leaders.
“Before the Yatra, there was a feeling of indifference towards Rahul among the top leaders of the party. I wouldn’t call it hatred. But most of the senior leaders were saying negative things about Mr. Rahul. And I don’t blame them… We all thought his actions were not good enough… There were questions about him,” the Congress leader said.
But even then, Congress leaders had different views, said another party leader. “They looked at Rahul as a leader…maybe because they never interacted so closely with him on a regular basis. But what I can tell you now is that most of our leaders, at some point, They joined Rahul during the yatra… They walked with him and realized that it was not an easy task. There is now widespread respect and admiration for him among top leaders. ” he said.
But Congress leaders admit that Rahul is still not a mass leader who can sway votes. “Mr. Modi was popular within the Bharatiya Janata Party even before 2014. After winning a crucial mandate in 2014, he earned respect and led the Bharatiya Janata Party to victory in each state.” He is not close… But Congress leaders are now looking at Rahul in a different light,” said a leader.
Some in the Congress believe that Rahul’s moral authority could help the party leadership resolve many of its internal conflicts.
This, coupled with the leadership of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, is what we have gained through the Yatra. “We ran a very smooth election in Karnataka. We were able to deal with opposing leaders and resolve differences. To some extent in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, we were able to deal with opposing leaders and resolve differences. “It will bring unity,” the leader said.
But some leaders now feel the party is starting to lose momentum. “From September last year until about June, we had the upper hand in terms of setting the story. Throughout the yatra, the BJP kept attacking us. They were reacting. Next, we set the story in Karnataka. Rahul’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha, the Adani scandal… We thought things had reached their peak, but things are about to change again.” said the person.
Congress remained in campaign mode until June. “But in the last couple of months we’ve kind of dropped the ball,” Reeder said.
However, the opposition coalition strengthened its strategy during this period and forged an Indian alliance. “That’s not true. I feel like Congress’s organizational activity has slowed down,” the leader said. “And perhaps that’s why the BJP is once again successful in setting up a distracting narrative. This ‘one country, one election’, Bharat-India and all…they do what they always do. I’m back to that. When they throw the ball at you, you try to grapple. We should have continued our mass contact program. ”
Most Congress leaders believe that Rahul will soon embark on Bharat Pure Land Yatra 2.0. “BJY 2.0 is essential for the party to gain momentum till the Sabah elections. We need Mr Rahul on the ground every day from now until the elections,” a party leader said. According to people close to Rahul, he is planning to embark on Yatra 2.0 closer to the elections.
“We have to look at the next state elections as well. After that, there will also be a series of joint rallies planned by the Indian Alliance. But Mr. Rahul has said that he will not be able to stand up for the election closer to the Lok Sabha elections. There will be two major campaigns, one is the Bharat Jodh Yatra and the other is the national, manifesto and pledge oriented Alliance of India campaign. BJY 2.0 will be a national campaign of the Congress. the leader said.
After completing his yatra in Srinagar on January 30, Rahul made several “surprise” visits to different parts of the country, held well-planned meetings with various people, and confirmed that he would continue to travel. It sent a message that .
From a recent interaction with workers at a chocolate factory in Ooty to an early morning visit to Delhi’s Azadpur market a month ago, Rahul has been on several outings since then, all with accompanying professionals. It was captured on camera by a team of videographers and photographers and streamed online. his social media platforms.
These seemingly non-political outings included a visit to a bicycle repair shop in Karol Bagh, a paddy field in Sonipat to interact with farmers, a university hostel in Delhi, and Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi to meet civil service aspirants; This includes riding along on the delivery company’s motorcycle. It is part of an attempt to set up Rahul’s story in Karnataka, where he shared a ride with a truck driver in Punjab and then repeated the same in the US with an Indian truck.Yatra Jaali Hai (Yatra is continuing).”
Meanwhile, the Congress on Thursday marked the first anniversary of the Bharat Pure Land Yatra, with party leaders across the country praising Rahul’s leadership.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who described the yatra as a people’s movement, said the march was not just a physical effort but a sincere effort to “rebuild a broken collective conscience” and address hatred in society through dialogue. He said the country continues to fight the threat of hostility. .
“For us, the deep-rooted values of justice, freedom, equality and fraternity are paramount,” Kharge said in a statement posted to X. “The National Congress Party is continually working to reach out to the people to take back the Constitution and protect our Constitution.” Democracy. ”
“The tendency to create irrelevant headlines to hide an agenda of hate and division and distract from people’s real problems is a systematic attack on our collective conscience,” Kharji said.
He said, “Today, as the Yatra completes a year, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, I congratulate Rahul Gandhi, all the Bharat Yatris and the hundreds of thousands of people who have participated and participated in this historic endeavour.” I will.”
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Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “The Bharat Yatra is a transformative event in Indian politics, with themes of widening economic inequality, increasing social polarization, and deepening political authoritarianism. It was focused on.”
Ramesh criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and added that the yatra is “not a lecture exercise on Mann Ki Baat for Rahul Gandhi, but an opportunity to listen to Janta Ki Chinta.”
Meanwhile, in a message in Hindi, Rahul said, “The billions of steps of the Bharat Pure Land Yatra towards unity and love have laid the foundation for a better tomorrow for this country.” The journey continues until hatred is eradicated and India is united. This is my promise! ”
