A fine vision, yet skewed priorities

The Congress party feels that Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra by Rahul Gandhi, which was kickstarted on Sunday from the ethnic strife-torn Manipur’s Thoubal district, is a right move to catch the attention of voters, though it is kick-started late. Though the party feels that its Bharat Jodo Yatra phase-1 had helped the party win elections in Karnataka and Telangana, the reality is different. The victory in these two states cannot be really attributed to Rahul’s yatra. It was the strong anti-incumbency factor against BJP in Karnataka and BRS in Telangana that made the grand old party come to power. While it won in two southern states, it lost three states in the Hindi heartland. That was the situation when Rahul went on padayatra.

This time around, it is going to be a bus ride since the notification for Lok Sabha polls would be announced any time after February 9. To what extent Rahul Gandhi will be able to communicate with the masses needs to be watched. The party insiders feel that Congress has failed to create great impact during the first padayatra as there was some communication gap between Rahul and the people. He was busy hearing their voices more than exposing the omissions and commissions of the BJP-led NDA government which led to the party’s debacle in the Assembly elections in the three Hindi states.

There seems to be no change in his style of campaign this time either. He has started his phase-II yatra saying, “We don’t want to tell you about our ‘mann ki baat’ but to hear about your ‘mann ki baat’. We want to know about your pain.” He said, “Question arises why Nyay Yatra? Because we are going through a period of great injustice in India – social, economic and political injustice. Injustice against the people of Manipur, the traditions of Manipur, but also injustice across the nation.”

In the Indian economy, monopolies are being built and a few people are getting access to all the wealth of the country, he alleges. He seems to be harping on unemployment and massive price rise which India is facing. On the social side, he alleges the Dalits and tribals do not have a say in the governance system of the country. “I have given you example upon example of how the large masses of our people are excluded from the political system and from the governance system, and hence I want to know your Mann Ki Baat.” That is the reason he said he wants to share a vision of brotherhood and harmony and asserted that a vision of India based on equitability, brotherhood and harmony would emerge from the yatra.

Fine, but what one does not understand is how could the grand old party forego a chance of strengthening the concept of brotherhood by not attending the consecration of Ram temple at Ayodhya. It was this party which wanted to take credit for Ram Mandir becoming a reality when it said the locks of the temple were opened when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister and thus the foundation for the temple was laid. Then why did they decide not to exhibit their ‘Mohabbat’ for all the devotees of Lord Ram?

The big question is whether the Congress can achieve equitability, brotherhood and harmony by treating this mega event as a political event. Are they not running away from their own policy and giving ammunition to the BJP at a time when the polls are round the corner? Maybe, some parties and leaders plan to fail.