Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is all set to commence his 150-day long Nyaya Yatra through 14 states and covering nearly 340 Lok Sabha constituencies from January 14th. Many skeptics have been raising questions regarding the political significance of this exercise, particularly after the Congress lost badly in three States where Assembly polls were held recently. There have also been questions on why should Rahul appear to be the flag bearer of the 138-year old party, when it has a seasoned politician like Mallikarjun Kharge as its boss. Yes, it is true that the fortunes of many party aspirants are linked to Rahul Gandhi and these insignificant activists, most of whom have no recognition of the ground realities, are simply waiting for Rahul’s star to shine so they can get important positions in future dispensations. The motive is clearly selfish and these ambitious people have zilch contribution either to the party or have any ideas that can transform the politics. The Yatra suits the BJP, which would always be glad to make the Parliamentary polls look like a contest between Rahul and Narendra Modi because it makes the Prime Minister a clear winner in such a situation. Therefore, what Rahul must do even though Kharge has repeatedly stated that the Congress was not in the running for the leadership role of the INDIA bloc, is that he should unilaterally declare himself out of the race for Prime Ministership in 2024. His objective with the current Yatra is to bring justice to people who have been deprived of opportunities, and highlight the unfulfilled promises of the current government. He should also focus on how Parliament has been reduced to being a debating chamber where discussions figuring the Opposition are disallowed, and the presiding officers take pride in suspending members, rather than running the Houses smoothly.
The reality is that the BJP is far ahead of the Congress and the other Opposition parties, at least so far as perception goes. Its leaders are citing a far-fetched number of over 400 seats which seem unattainable given the Saffron Brigade’s footprint, and its diminishing chances in States, South of the Vindhyayas. For the next few months, it is almost certain that the Prime Minister looking for his third term would be travelling the length and breadth of the country, and therefore shall be hogging most of the media space in the national media. However, what Rahul’s Yatra would do is that in every State where it reaches, it shall have at least the local media writing or reporting about it, even if it gets overshadowed by other events at the national level. This would keep the party alive in these states and also keep the focus on the Congress and its programmes. The challenge before the Congress is that in the five states, which went to polls recently, the party must try and reduce the BJP numbers as far as possible. If the BJP’s tally goes down by even 50 in these States, a Herculean task at this juncture, the chances of the Saffron Brigade getting a majority on its own accord would also come down. While it is true that with Modi as its spearhead, there is a little that the opposition can do, but every seat is going to count in these polls because it pits the Opposition for a fight for its survival against the ruling dispensation. There have been many doubts that have been raised over the future of the INDIA bloc, but if they manage to put up a single nominee against the BJP in even 300 seats, the outcome would be impacted. The Yatra is taking place in the backdrop of Mamata Banerjee, for instance, declaring that her party would contest all the seats in West Bengal. Similar statements have come from other partners, each of whom is wanting to project its leaders as the future Prime Ministerial nominees.
It needs to be understood here that unless these regional leaders do not get the projection of being possible PM candidates, they would find it difficult to maximize their victory tally in their respective States. Thus, this projection has to be created as a strategic tool rather than how things would shape up ultimately. The Congress has to adjust itself to the emerging situations and not play the big brother so far as its allies are concerned. It should concentrate on the States where it is involved in straight fights with the BJP since it is in these constituencies, the BJP wrests the overall advantage. In some ways, the Congress is both the weak link and an essential component of this alliance which is appearing extremely fragile at this time. For the Congress, the importance of Rahul Gandhi’s Nyaya Yatra also lies in the fact that it would be able to make its presence felt in many areas from where it has been politically uprooted, something that may not be liked by its allies, but something they can do nothing about. The difference between the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Bharat Nyaya Yatra is also conspicuous.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra was aimed at building the party around Rahul Gandhi and to transform his image. Why it did not achieve its desired objectives was because the organization was weak or absent in many areas. However, with Kharge as the president, emphasis over the past few months has also been on building the organization. He has been holding state wise meetings with party leaders and taking their suggestions for improvement. A lot shall also depend on how politics unfolds over the next few months.