How party strategists are running down their leader and RaGa refuses to see it!

Rahul Yatra which is touted as a spiritual exercise aimed at touching the grassroots and covering the length and breadth of this diverse nation, much like a discovery, gets reduced to whether the protagonist is wearing a jacket or not.

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra has completed one long leg covering a large stretch through several states and resumed its second leg after a nine-day hiatus. In this round, the Yatra will move through north Indian states and union territories. Ever since the Yatra entered the cold northern zones, his back room boys have been working over time tweeting, re-tweeting and highlighting throughout the day and night about his sweater-less, jacket-less status.

First, his party strategists tweet how he walks without warm clothing. Then, host of party supporters and journalists amplify the same. Expectedly, the television networks pick up the issue and hold full scale panel discussions on the same. Anything new is welcome to the 24/7 news world.

So the Rahul Yatra which is touted as a spiritual exercise aimed at touching the grassroots and covering the length and breadth of this diverse nation, much like a discovery, gets reduced to whether the protagonist is wearing a jacket or not. Ever since RaGa joined politics and became a Member of Parliament, it has been a constant refrain of his party and their supporters, that his opponents, particularly the BJP, have tried to paint their leader as a non-serious politician.

Today, when Rahul Gandhi has shown some semblance of sticking to his schedule by following the Yatra and promising the walk towards discovery, is this really the image that his party wants to project of him? That he can walk without woollens when others are warmly clothed? It hasn't stopped at Raga. Now, every random Congress worker on social media is touting that he/she doesn't feel cold. As if that is a new found criterion for a good citizen.

One can but only guess what prompted the Congress strategists to kick start this debate. Surely, it was not a one-time random comment. Because if it was it would have ended on day one. Instead, the message was amplified in an obviously organised manner across media platforms. From junior and middle rank to senior most leaders promptly touted the jacket-less Rahul Gandhi narrative for well over a week.

The truth is Congress wallas may blame BJP and other parties for showing a non-serious image of their leader but the fact remains that it is the Congress back room boys themselves who reinforce this image with their antics.

No one is likely to look at Rahul Gandhi as a future Prime Minister when all his party wants is to focus on his T-shirt. Yes, image building, body language and such optical stuff do play a role in political communication but it must be complemented with substantive political ideas. For instance, when Narendra Modi took a dip in the Holy Triveni Sangam it was a reflection of his cultural rootedness and his pride in India's cultural heritage.

What is the underlying political message of Rahul Gandhi sporting a summer type T-shirt surrounded by party workers in shawls, jackets and monkey caps? If it is to showcase the stud image, there is scant evidence in India's polity that voters get moved by a stud like image alone.

In his serious-now, not serious-now manner, Rahul Gandhi has raised some interesting issues during his sojourn so far. These pertain to harmony, plurality and love among citizens. One expects that these weeks have added to his understanding of the grass root India which his supporters so like to talk about. Then to reduce the entire effort to a stud taking a winter- walk in a T-shirt is not only running down the hard work of their leader but it a message that can only impress the Congress backroom boys and spokies swooning over his physique. The common Indian voter has a little more depth than that. Thankfully!

(Smita Mishra writes on politics and current affairs)

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