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Turning the tide, one yatra at a time
NEW DELHI: As Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi resumed his ‘Kisan Mahapadyatra’ on Wednesday, he continued a chapter in the country’s history of processions
NEW DELHI: As Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi resumed his ‘Kisan Mahapadyatra’ on Wednesday, he continued a chapter in the country’s history of processions that often take a campaign to the voters’ doorsteps.
Parties of all hues have hit the streets with yatras or roadshows to rev up their message on topics such as the Ram Mandir issue and the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Gandhi is no greenhorn in yatra politics, and Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state, remains his favourite ground.
During the UPA regime, he walked for days to reach farmers on the issue of land acquisition, and his party’s government supplemented his efforts by bringing a new land bill.
“For the past two years, Rahul has been walking in his yatras. It helps communicate with farmers and highlight their issues,” said K Raju, Gandhi’s key aide.
Yatras gave a new lifeline to the BJP in the early 1990s. Party patriarch LK Advani’s rath yatra on the Ram Mandir issue helped the BJP achieve power at the Centre.
That yatra was also identified by Advani’s rivals for arousing communal passions that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
Political observers feel yatras have a unique appeal: leaders come to peoples’ doorsteps instead of the other way round. The grandeur of a yatra with a focused theme also helps connect better with the target audience.
They also come in handy to divert attention from embarrassing issues. Amid the tussle in UP’s ruling Yadav family, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav announced a UP yatra on Wednesday.
While leaders such as J Jayalalithaa travelled in customised air-conditioned vans for roadshows, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son, Akhilesh, chose to ride a bicycle (his party’s symbol) for his yatra before the 2011 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
The Left parties have consistently hit the streets with their yatras on issues ranging from proximity to US’ imperialism to price rise.
