Picture : Twitter/ INCIndia
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi who is on his #BharatJodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh and which is expected to reach Rajasthan on December 4 after covering 380 KMs in Madhya Pradesh has surprised political pundits with his commitment towards the yatra.
Dubbed often by media as a part- time politician many thought Rahul Gandhi would not be able to sustain for long . And the Gandhi scion was quoted as saying : “We started this journey from Kanyakumari. When we started, the people of the opposition said that India is 3,300 kilometres long and it cannot be done on foot but now we have come to Madhya Pradesh, we will walk about 370 kilometres here. This Yatra will reach Srinagar and our tricolour will be hoisted there, no one can stop it.”
एक भारत…एकजुट भारत।#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/CAqLIuH0D8
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 26, 2022
Gandhi had apparently clearly laid down the agenda of his yatra when he reportedly said : There are three goals behind this Yatra. Firstly, this is against the hatred, violence and fear that is being spread in India. Secondly, it is against unemployment and third against inflation, he said, adding that lakhs of people, including youths, farmers and unemployed youths will participate in this yatra and will walk across Madhya Pradesh.
During the yatra , Gandhi tore into the BJP saying, “What I want to say is, we started the Bharat Jodo Yatra because all democratic avenues are shut. The Lok Sabha, the electoral route, the press — everything is closed. All the institutions — the RSS/BJP have cornered them, filled them with their own men. The judiciary is under pressure. The courts are under pressure. So we thought there is only one option. Hit the road, embrace the people, listen to the farmers, listen to the labourers, the small traders, and join them,” he added.
बॉक्सिंग रिंग के अजेय योद्धा @boxervijender आज आपने #BharatJodoYatra में सड़क पर उतरकर खेत-खलिहान और युवाओं की आवाज़ को ताकत दी है।
शुक्रिया आपका…🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/4oZOFqPdp9
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 25, 2022
As Gandhi remained committed towards the Yatra he has as result given the campaigns in the poll bound assembly election states – Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh a miss . Union Information & Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur termed bizarre Rahul Gandhi’s absence from poll campaigns in the hill state .
BJP party spokesperson Sambit Patra questioned Rahul Gandhi’s absence from 2022 Gujarat assembly campaigns . Patra reportedly was quoted saying “Look at Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. There is no sweat or work or effort. Without these, you cannot win elections. Rahul Gandhi came to attend only three sabhas.”
“One the other side is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is continuously campaigning,” he added. Patra also questioned why the Bharat Jodo Yatra did not happen in Gujarat. “Don’t Rahul Gandhi consider Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh to be part of India? Why didn’t he come here for Bharat Jodo?”
So it makes one wonder why one the one hand The BJP had never shied away from taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi and time and again counted the errors of country’s first p[rime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to target the Congress is today lamenting his presence at the poll campaigns?. If Rahul Gandhi campaigns he is said to be part of the BJP often says the Tukde Tukde gang and the lobby that wants to weaken India . So If Rahul Gandhi campaigns it is a problem if he is not then it is another problem. BJP has an obsession with Rahul Gandhi it seems.
BJP has often used the slogan congress mukt bharat and by using Operation lotus had ousted Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Goa so why are they cribbing about Rahul Gandhi not campaigning in Gujarat or Himachal Pradesh?. After all Congress slide does strengthen their stranglehold does it not ? As a declining Congress means a weak opposition. A potion they like and for the debate sake often use the cliché – that for a vibrant healthy democracy one needs a strong opposition.
नमामि देवी नर्मदे🙏🏼#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/3Bt312LLFw
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 25, 2022
So far Rahul Gandhi’s yatra has aroused curiosity and attracting crowds. Will it change the fortunes of the party” in the coming days/ years at the assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha Polls remains to be seen. But one thing is sure – the yatra has showcased Rahul Gandhi’s seriousness as a politician no matter how one tries to ignore him one cannot .
