E-Paper
No automaticity that Bharat Jodo Yatra will translate into poll success: Ramesh
Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra is Congress’s largest public contact exercise in years that began in September
Congress’s Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra, the party’s largest public contact exercise in years, has entered its second month. Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communication, spoke to HT about the yatra, the key challenges ahead, organisational changes required to reap electoral benefits from it, etc. Edited excerpts:
The Congress is set to get a non-Gandhi president after 24 years and that too through an election. But you have suggested it is secondary and the yatra is of utmost importance...
The yatra is an exercise in mass mobilisation whereas the Congress presidential election is limited to 9,100 delegates. The main narrative of the Congress is not being set by its presidential election but by this mass mobilisation programme, which has not been undertaken by the party in the past. It is the longest padyatra [foot march] by any political party. The only longer padyatra in world history is Mao’s Long March of 8,000 km, but that had a different context and different history.
I remember when [Rahul] Gandhi came for the first meeting of the yatra, there were suggestions that it should be done in hybrid mode, using trains and cars in some parts. Gandhi was one of the few people in the meeting who insisted on a padyatra to make an impact. In many ways, it is a tribute to his tenacity and endurance that we have embarked on this padyatra.
But it looks like the yatra has turned into a campaign to showcase Rahul Gandhi as a transformed political leader...
His transformation can be seen as a consequence of the yatra. But it is certainly not the yatra’s focus. The focus remains on the concerns of the people over economic inequality, social polarisation, and political centralisation. The yatra was also planned for reinventing and reinvigorating the Congress organisation. And once it became clear Gandhi was going to be in the march, it was inevitable that public focus will remain on him. And to be honest, in the last 34 days, not only the Congress has been able to set a narrative but the public perception of Gandhi has changed dramatically.
There is a remark attributed to [French philosopher] Albert Camus that Nelson Mandela would quote: “Do not walk behind me; I may not lead. Do not walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” I think this applies to Gandhi in the yatra. I know the media earlier highlighted him in a different way but it was unfortunate became this is the real Rahul Gandhi.
The three states covered so far have a strong Congress presence and it was easy for you to get a large number of participants. Will north India be a challenge?
...we will face challenges in the coming days. Our first challenge will be in Andhra Pradesh where we have just four per cent of the votes. In Karnataka, our organisation is extremely strong even as the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] is in power. Kerala, Gandhi’s electoral state, also has a strong Congress presence. But Andhra Pradesh will be a key test for the yatra. Then five days in Uttar Pradesh would be another big challenge. Another five days in Punjab would be a hurdle as we were routed in the last [2022] election. We should not underestimate these challenges.
We cannot take anything for granted. In fact, I never took Karnataka for granted. I have been telling others, let us be careful. Let us moderate our expectations. The response has been phenomenal and far exceeding our expectations. Our expectations in Tamil Nadu were fulfilled. We knew Kerala would be a very good show because of our party’s organisation and also because Gandhi is an MP [member of Parliament] from Kerala. For me, the index of our success is the rate at which the BJP resorts to dirty tricks.
How did you manage big crowds in Karnataka where the party has strong factions?
...there is a lot of curiosity to see Rahul Gandhi. Congress president [Sonia] Gandhi also joined the yatra there and that too mobilised our workers. ...in Karnataka, there are a lot of intending candidates because the election is due in six months. So, they also helped organise people as they all wanted to impress [Rahul] Gandhi and the party organisation.
I think the BJP has been taken aback by the humongous response. I am 100% sure we will receive a very good response in Telangana too.
If the yatra is seen as a success, how do you translate this mobilisation into votes?
This is not a yatra to win elections. But it is a political yatra...for mass awareness, mass mobilisation. Now that has to be accompanied by political strategy and organisational changes. So, we have to walk on two tracks. And that is a big challenge waiting for the new Congress president, who would be announced on October 19.
...The yatra in itself is not a magic wand. It opens opportunities and changes perceptions. We are setting the narrative. The BJP is reacting to our narrative. We have been able to get into the BJP’s den and make it feel uncomfortable. But there is no automaticity that this yatra will translate into electoral success. It will be a completely different ball game.
