Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul charms Kerala as BJP, Left watch befuddled

As the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi marches ahead in Kerala, a spontaneous human chain comes up across many rural pockets of the stretch, with women outnumbering men in some places. And, unlike the much-publicised ‘Vanitha Mathil’ (women’s wall) that came up in the state in the backdrop of the row over the Sabarimala verdict, there is certain spontaneity to it, which has caught even Congress leaders off-guard.

Massive turnout 

The 3,500-km long, 150-day Yatra covering 12 states has been marching forward with purpose, even as the Congress party has been reeling under desertions and other controversies. While the Yatra in Kerala was always going to be a success, owing to multiple factors, the massive turnout is being keenly followed by well-wishers and political opponents alike.

Left blows hot and cold

The public outreach of Rahul hasn’t gone down well with the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist); this primarily stems from its own insecurities over protecting its turf. Seasoned journalist B Sreejan weighs in: “The CPI (M) would have ignored the Yatra if it weren’t a big deal as it claims. They have robust feedback systems to flag the crowds thronging the walkathon at every point.”

No wonder then that its state secretariat member M Swaraj dubbed it a “container jatha”, mocking the arrangements made for the padayatris to retire at night. While MV Govindan, its newly-appointed general secretary, quickly stepped in for damage control, leaders of the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) have blown hot and cold about the Yatra since then.

Talking point in BJP rank and file

It is not just the CPI (M) which has been left confused on how to react to the Yatra. A prominent public relations professional from Delhi, formerly a journalist, noted: “We count even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) among our clients and one of the major talking points now is the Bharat Jodo Yatra. There is a constant debate as to whether criticising it beyond a point will backfire on them and end up as PR work for the Congress instead.”

Also read: Bharat Jodo Yatra: there is no short cut to Delhi through South India

Even the Congress leaders who have been tasked with bringing crowds at strategic locations have been left befuddled by the crowds queuing up well in advance, wondering whether they should abandon their plans to ‘dress up’ the turnout. Speaking to The Federal, VT Balram, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president, pointed out how their political opponents have been taken aback by the response to the Yatra.

Asked why certain outreach programmes of Rahul weren’t part of the original itinerary, he noted that they have been improvising and making provisions for all scenarios. He added that besides meeting eminent people and visiting protest sites, Rahul had a productive interaction with cashew workers in Kollam and would be replicating it with the fishing community and coir workers in Alappuzha.

A veteran editor, who did not want to be named, had a word of caution: “Rahul Gandhi has missed chances already to draw the country’s attention to the Yatra by issuing political statements regularly. It makes for great images to see him charming the crowd but where is the political messaging? Bharat Jodo isn’t enough of an appeal to sustain the momentum over weeks and months.”

Reaching out to the grassroots

However, Congress leaders contend that the Yatra is more of a medium for the party to reconnect with the masses, to reach out to the grassroots, something that has been sorely lacking of late, with all its attention cast on social media.

Standing at the gate of a rundown house next to a shop at Alappuzha, a homemaker sporting a veil and holding a baby proudly flashes the coupons she bought by shelling out Rs 500, towards donation to the padayatra, adding that she doesn’t mind spending “towards a good cause”. Not everyone shares similar enthusiasm though, especially for the fund-raising part.

An impression has gained ground that the Yatra is yet another launchpad to rebrand Rahul, even as the presidential elections are due to be notified in the party. At least in Kerala, the KPCC hasn’t passed a resolution demanding that Rahul take over as president, unlike the Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, among other states — probably also on account of Shashi Tharoor being in the fray.

Also read: Congress chief polls: Stage set for Tharoor vs Gehlot contest?

For a politician who has not often displayed the tenacity to be consistent, Rahul’s ability to stay the course will be tested during this Yatra. But Rahul has a unique strength to him which has stood him in good stead for now — his fitness levels for a 52-year-old, something even the younger padayatris like Chandy Oommen acknowledge. Chandy junior is one of the eight Malayalis among the 119 full time yatris selected to accompany Rahul for the entire stretch.

Fitness quotient 

“Although I am physically fit and play badminton regularly, even I faced issues with my feet and developed fever in between, but look at Rahul Ji, he is always the first off the blocks and never gets flustered in spite of the packed schedule,” Chandy said. On being asked the takeaways for now, he pauses for a moment and recollects a heart-wrenching encounter with people on the verge of losing their homes at Thottappally in Alappuzha to black sand mining. “For every padayatri, this will be an event of a lifetime,” he added.

Earlier, when Balram was asked about Rahul taking off to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh as part of campaigning for the upcoming polls in between, he pointed out to the off-days every week. “I can’t say for sure if Rahul Ji will be campaigning only on the off-days; it would depend a lot on fatigue and other considerations. We don’t want to burn him out,” Balram added.

Rite of passage 

Should Rahul manage to complete the Yatra over the course of five months, it will be a sort of a rite of passage as he is expected to come out a lot wiser and enlightened, probably discovering the India that his great-grandfather Nehru wrote so evocatively about.