Rahul Gandhi & Bharat Jodo Yatra: Undividing Bharat, Reconnecting India.
Savio Dlima
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I picture asking myself a genuine question: Can a man be born twice*? Can he walk in his own footsteps etched in the burning sand? Could he be tugging at the sleepy hearts of millions of Indians while walking with them every day? The answer is yes, and that's the new Rahul Gandhi. The new year comes across a new man making headlines for a simple reason - walking with you to reclaim the soul of India. Churlish as it may seem, the burning question on the lips of many is: What is the need for a pan-India journey* today; a yatra from the South to the North, a 3500 km vertical crisscrossing 12 states?
Logical, right?
But the answer is challenging to decode. At least political pundits will agree! While the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a simple, unassuming walk covering the length and breadth of the country, its political and social ramifications are unmistakable; everyone can see. Crowds have only been getting enormous since the yatra began on 7th September last year. From celebrities to traders to everyday homemakers, sportspeople, farmers, soldiers and passionate children, the yatra is touching the lives of many. While many watch from the rafters while others jostle for selfies, they see Rahul Gandhi on a mission. The eager crowds (sorry, no paid crowds here) walking in the yatra from day 1 are the actual icing on the cake!
Breaking the culture of hate, gently:
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The constant bonding of people from various parts of India in BJY sums up the verse well. Everyone in the yatra walks, eats and rests together. Perhaps this is what we have forgotten today! We live in a world fragmented by religion, culture, and caste. Even food is not spared! The TV constantly provokes and incites, while the newspapers are full of redundant praise for their masters. Democracy and difference of opinion are literally dead. Answering these challenges, the Bharat Jodo Yatra erupted out of the blue! I was surprised, and many of my friends questioned its timing too. How can the Rahul Gandhi led BJY counter the hate pervading the entire country? Mr Gandhi resigned from the Congress president's post in 2019*, yet he chose to spearhead a political party in 2023 and rally people to an ideology of love and peace. Perhaps, this is his destiny, his moment to embrace perhaps the reluctant truth.
The efforts have already begun at a brisk pace! What political observers see (or fail to see) is that the surging crowds in the yatra are bonding to something mysterious, something unseen to the human eye. They are bonding with one another. Democracy and its ethos-pathos have suddenly risen from its deep slumber, and people are tangibly feeling it. Even other political parties are rattled by this and are calculating its possible outcomes. Mainstream media, which always walks with its horse blinkers, is compelled to cover the Bharat Jodo Yatra grudgingly. Never before in India has an apolitical yatra commenced and gained such momentum in recent memory.
B.J.Y: Resolve or Experiment?
This is a pertinent question, even for intellectuals like me/us. A yatra cannot go on forever. The people, too, will one day go back to their homes. What happens, then? We need to analyse the pitch that the Yatra has set and the élan that will take the Congress party to heal India and resurrect itself. I would say that the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a firm resolve to reclaim India and must ensure?not to let down the aspirations of the children, youths and people of this country
"Can WE agree"? Without handing open invitations to scores of political leaders and parties, the INC has delivered its message succinctly: Shed political aspirations and caste-based politics and join in the fight to reclaim India. The BJY proves that the Congress party is the biggest party in the opposition and the torchbearer of the Gandhi-Nehru vision for the country.
Ekla cholo re gets bigger! - Whether it was Tagore exhorting his listeners to continue their journey, despite lack of support from others or the Mahatma undertaking a walk to Dandi, as part of the Satya, "truth", + Agraha, "insistence" movement, the BJY has definite shades of the former two. At 52, Rahul Gandhi has emerged as a new leader, showcasing a brave spirit and wiping out his old image, bruised by the media* and bitter political parties. He needs to continue with this momentum as a politician (he still is the MP from Wayanad) and build up the Congress party with the strength of its new and old workers. Clearly, a platform has been built and come 2024; heads will begin to roll, asking for Rahul Gandhi to play a significant part in leading Indian politics towards a cleaner and more humane society. All the best!?
The journey has just begun, ensuing a billion steps further!
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2 年Great summary of BJY. Indeed a very successful yatra on all fronts!