Finally, the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, came to an end in Srinagar as the National Flag was raised at the famed Lal Chowk against the backdrop of Rahul’s enormous cutout. As originally announced, the flag was to be flown at the JKPCC headquarters on MA Road in Srinagar.
Its mood helped the yatra come to a perfect end. In the same breath as distancing himself from the Bharat Jodo Yatra’s political intentions, Gandhi claimed that the yatra was inherently anti-BJP doctrine and that its purpose was to defend the nation’s liberal and secular culture, which he feels is being attacked by the BJP government.
What will happen next? After the BJY, Congress leaders will resume their regular duties. It remains challenging to respond to this question succinctly. Fact, the yatra has brought Gandhi and Congress a great deal of goodwill, but the political climate has not yet changed. No other federal leader, not even Gandhi, comes close to the all-powerful, all-dominating leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
Rahul Gandhi spoke at about 100 corner meetings, 12 public gatherings, 13 press conferences, and 275 scheduled for walking engagements in addition to about 100 sitting interactions when he was traveling.
In light of this, analysts do concede that Rahul’s Yatra may qualify as the Congress party’s largest mass reference program since independence. It may re-energize the discouraged employees while also instilling confidence in those whose struggles and survival issues were highlighted throughout the entire route.
Even if the Lok Sabha elections aren’t until early 2024, nonetheless they have one year away, and a ton can happen in that period. A year is an extended time in politics. Only a united competitor could be anticipated to oppose the BJP given the current state of affairs. Only shaky signs suggest that Gandhi’s efforts to bring the opposition together have been successful.
Since a long time ago, there have been discussions concerning the party’s various issues, one of which — the issue of leadership — has been resolved with Kharge’s election. The Bharat Jodo Yatra marked the beginning of the other, which was mass reference and relation with the populace. But he said that it needed to continue in other ways as well, not only a padyatra.
A variety of opposition groups, including the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party in Kashmir, DMK in Tamil Nadu, the Nationalist Congress Party, and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, whose leaders participated, supported the yatra during its 145-day trek.
Numerous well-known opposition parties likewise decided to abstain. These included the Trinamool Congress of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, K Chandrasekhar Rao the Bharat Rashtra Samiti of Telangana Chief Minister, the Biju Janata Dal of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of Odisha, the Aam Aadmi Party of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and the Bharat Rashtra Samiti of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar.
How far the Congress has come in reaffirming its aim to serve as the “fulcrum” of a national choice to the BJP in 2024 will be revealed by the optics of the yatra finale, which is anticipated to draw many opposition leaders.