In Kerala, Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra evoked huge public support, revitalising the Congress and reassuring its allies.
The Bharat Jodo yatra completing its Kerala leg at Vazhikkadavu near Malappuram. Photo: Supplied.
By the time Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra completed its Kerala leg on Thursday, 29 September, after traversing more than half the state in 18 days, it had infused new life not just into the Congress party, but also the United Democratic Front (UDF), the Opposition alliance it heads in the state.
Hardly a year has passed since the front suffered a humiliating defeat in the election held to the state Assembly, and the CPI(M)-led LDF retained power with a massive mandate. The electoral outcome was a rude shock to most leaders of the UDF as Kerala had a long record of alternately electing one of the rival fronts every five years.
The Assembly election outcome had also suggested that there had been a large-scale erosion of the UDF’s mass base, especially among Christians and Muslims in the state, which found a better option in Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to fight perceived threats posed by the BJP-RSS combine.
A predominantly Christian party, the Kerala Congress (Mani), had, for instance, already left the UDF to become a part of the LDF.
Perhaps inevitably, the Congress state unit witnessed a churn in its leadership after the election, with K Sudhakaran and VD Satheesan occupying the posts of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and Opposition leader, respectively.
The changes eclipsed the political hopes of once-powerful rival factions within the Congress, such as the ones led by senior leaders Oommen Chandy, a former chief minister, and Ramesh Chennithala.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra not only saw all the factions working with a single purpose, it has also seemingly helped the Congress and UDF regain much their lost mass base. The yatra has also underlined the continuing acceptability of Rahul Gandhi among the people of Kerala as a leader who can take on the divisive politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP-RSS dispensation at the Centre.
The KPCC’s assessment is that the Kerala leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra was a huge success, and that it will have a resonance even at the national level. The public response to the yatra was immense in Kerala, going far beyond the party’s and leaders’ expectations.
Though there were no significant local-level attempts to mobilize people, Keralites thronged both sides of the national highway to catch a glimpse of Rahul Gandhi and to extend their solidarity to his cause.
While Congress workers and cadres of its alliance partners walked along with their leader, ordinary people thronged the roadsides in large numbers and engaged in emotional interactions with Rahul, who never spared a single occasion to reach out to them. In areas like Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Palakkad, the yatra evoked huge response.
The Congress party feels the positivity and goodwill generated by the yatra and the prevailing anti-incumbency wave in Kerala against the second Pinarayi Vijayan government will help the front win maximum seats in the fast-approaching Lok Sabha election in 2024.
When it comes to the UDF, the Bharat Jodi Yatra has clearly been a reassuring experience as it underlined the fact that Congress is no longer a spent force in Kerala.
Almost all front leaders, including IUML President Sadique Ali Shihab Thangal, joined the yatra at different locations and walked along with Rahul Gandhi. In Malappuram, the traditional citadel of the IUML, the Congress leader received a hero’s welcome.
Across the state, religious leaders, including Christian bishops and Hindu seers, met Rahul Gandhi and extended their solidarity.
For the first time in its history, the Congress used the yatra to reach out to the state’s leading environmentalists, civil society leaders, activists, writers, academics and other opinion makers. Independent movements representing fish workers, tribals, Dalits, transgenders and other vulnerable groups were also provided with occasions to meet Rahul Gandhi and share with him their grievances.
“The yatra was hugely successful and far greater than our expectations. Even the adverse political developments in the party in Rajasthan and Goa failed to demoralise the yatra at any point in time. The yatra had representation of people from across the spectrum. They reposed their faith in Rahul,” said VT Balram, KPCC vice-president.
When the yatra ended its Kerala phase at Vazhikkadavu in Malappuram and re-entered Tamil Nadu, Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Digvijaya Singh thanked the KPCC and UDF leaders for making the Kerala leg a considerable success.
“Home is where you get love, and Kerala is home for me. No matter how much affection I give, I always get more from the people here. I am forever indebted. Thank you,” Rahul Gandhi himself tweeted.
I would also like to wholeheartedly thank the Congress & UDF leaders and workers, Kerala police, media personnel & every individual who has been part of the #BharatJodoYatra in this beautiful state.
The support you have given us makes our resolve firmer & our strides stronger.??
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 29, 2022
Apr 23, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
