Rahul ends his Yatra endorsing Modi

Not too long back, the Valley was under siege. Pak-trained terrorists called the shots. But now, Rahul hoisted the national flag and is back home safe. Who brought this tectonic change? The very same people - Modi, Amit Shah, Ajit Doval and RSS - Rahul chose to pillory in his speech, thus innately ended up endorsing all what Modi and his team has done in the Valley during the last few years.

Rahul Gandhi's 135-day-long 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', covering 14 States, 75 districts and spanning over 3,800 km, culminated at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar on Monday. Speaking at the concluding function, Rahul pointed to the sacrifices his family has made - the assassinations of his grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi. He also bragged about his bravery in coming to Kashmir ignoring threats to his life - and as is his vaunt, blamed the BJP for unleashing hate in the country.

Nothing surprising in what Rahul has said. The Congress has very little to offer to aspirational young India and has unsuccessfully been trying to encash the sacrifices made by its leaders and party's role in the independence movement. Everyone knows the formal moniker, 'Bharat Jodo' has nothing to do with the real intent behind this much publicised exercise.

India was one before the 'Yatra', and continues to be an undisturbed socio-political identity. The idea of India is timeless, transcends centuries and is in no way linked to the antics of individual leaders, who have little vision and cannot see beyond next elections.

The Yatra objectives included legitimating Rahul's claim to lead the Congress, breathe some life into the moribund party and reposition Congress among the opposition parties. Before subjecting the 'Yatra' to a political audit, one cannot help but notice the irony of what Rahul said on the termination of his long march. "I know what hatred is. I have seen it. Those who haven't seen or faced hatred, they get scared," Rahul said, adding that no leader from the BJP would have attempted a march such as this, because they are "afraid". Modesty is surely not one of Rahul's traits.

"Security officials told me that you can walk freely in entire India including Jammu but in Kashmir, you must take a car. Venugopal (Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal) told me the same thing. A few days ago, the local administration said 'if you walk a grenade will be hurled at you'," the Congress leader said, adding that the people of J&K instead "opened their hearts" for him.

"I decided I will walk amid the people. I thought I should give my haters an opportunity to change the colour of my shirt to red. [Mahatma] Gandhi taught me that if you have to live, live without fear. People of J&K didn't throw grenades. They treated me as their own," he said.

Rahul further said, "Those who spread hatred like Modi, Amit Shah, Ajit Doval or the RSS cannot understand pain. But the CRPF, the Army and the people of Jammu & Kashmir will understand."

Here is a twist in the tale. Not too long back, the Valley was under siege. Pakistan-trained terrorists, with help from a radicalised section of the local population, called the shots. Cinema houses were shut for decades, normal civil life and commerce had come to an end, and even army convoys were frequently stoned. Tricolour was an anathema and those holding it high had to pay for their 'misdemeanour', with their lives.

Slogans hailing Pakistan and wishing death to India in public spaces in the valley were the norm. It was considered normal. Rahul hoisted the national flag and is back home safe. Who brought this tectonic change? The very same people - Modi, Amit Shah, Ajit Doval and RSS - Rahul chose to pillory at Srinagar.

When Rahul raised the tricolour in Srinagar, in a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, carried his usual tirade against BJP and RSS undisrupted, to the applause of his supporters and fellow travellers, he innately ended up endorsing all what Modi and his team has done in the Valley during the last few years. Rahul couldn't have been able to do all this, but for the policies Modi has pursued during the last few years.

Who all did Rahul socialise with, and celebrate his 'achievement'? With those very elements which are a part of an eco-system that breeds hate against Hindus and India, and are at least vicariously responsible for the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus. There's yet another irony. Rahul's war against hate doesn't include those who spew venom against non-believers. He didn't mention even once, either Pakistan or radical Islam, the real villains of the Kashmir story.

Will this 'Yatra', make Congress more relevant? The final event at Srinagar on Monday last, answered this question convincingly. Only 8 of the 23 "like-minded" parties invited by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge participated in the rally. The event was lacklustre, aptly described as a "damp squib", by the BJP.

The parties that attended were DMK, CPI, RSP and Asaduddin Owaisi's IUML. Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, both former Chief Ministers of Jammu & Kashmir representing National Conference and People's Democratic Party respectively, were also part of the rally. The list of absentees included some of the most trusted Congress allies - Laloo Yadav's RJD and Sharad Pawar's NCP. Also conspicuous by their absence were Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party and JDU, among others.

Can one say the 'Yatra' was a waste? No, it did create some excitement. Rahul Gandhi attracted public attention as he walked between 20 and 25 km a day, along with his supporters and party leaders, talking to countless men, women and children, shaking hands, sharing a warm hug with many and frequently speaking to the media. He was no longer an inaccessible remote dynastic, but someone willing to listen, share opinions and willing to empathise with common masses.

It's difficult to say whether the people en route were attracted by his new salt-pepper beard or his braving North Indian peak winter in just a white T-shirt, sans any woollens. Maybe some people came to hear what Rahul has to say on national or international issues. Many surely came out of pure curiosity.

At the ground level, the Yatra hardly made any impact on Congress fortunes. This period saw Congress shrinking humiliatingly in Gujarat and getting decimated in Delhi municipal polls. Even its victory in Himachal was hardly convincing. Will Rahul's spirited endeavour and his narrative on Savarkar, tribals and Modi translate into votes? That will be tested in the elections lined up this year in nine States, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The results will decide whether the Yatra was just an ego trip for Rahul or it has managed to invigorate Congress, that's been on a steady decline since 2014.

In the current year, the party has to undergo several tests. The party has to hold on to Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the only two States where it is in government other than Himachal, and beat anti- incumbency. It has to prove its mettle in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh; and reclaim Telangana.

The walk, with all its glitz and drama, is over. It's time for Congress and Rahul to translate the walk euphoria into votes. Is it possible to reinvent the decaying party on the basis of outdated leftist cliches, rich-poor binary and talking about national unity while supping with outright divisive, communal forces?

The marathon walk surely proved two things - Rahul is physically fit and suffers from an ideological deficit. In absence of any clear doctrinal underpinning, Rahul continues to draw heavily from Marxist lexicon to build his anti-Modi narratives. Marxism has failed the world over. Can Rahul hope to become relevant in India on the strength of a rejected paradigm?

(Mr. Balbir Punj is a Former Member of Parliament and a Columnist. He can be reached at: [email protected])

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