Political activist Yogendra Yadav briefly summarises the accomplishments of the Congress’ long march. His affiliation with the Yatra has enabled it reach out to thousands of activists and groups who are not typically supporters of the Congress. According to him, the Yatra was successful in eradicating Rahul’s Pappu reputation and challenging the country’s ongoing intolerance and hatred.
Rahul stated that anywhere between Rs 5,000 and 6,000 crore, or even more, have been spent to smear him during his ninth press conference, held on Saturday in New Delhi. According to him, the Yatra presented the nation with a new perspective that was based in harmony and that the conflict was now one of culture rather than politics. Although Rahul’s reputation as a reluctant politician has been dispelled by the Yatra, it may be unrealistic to expect the other members of the Congress leadership to change habits and ways of thinking that have developed over the past three decades.
Video Courtesy: NDTV
As Rahul oversaw the process of creating the Congress platform for the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections, the first indications that he could shock senior party leaders were clear. Party strategists claim that Rahul has used the Yatra to compare Congress positions on subjects from which the party is unable to stray. This alternative framework to combat the BJP-RSS on a cultural level involves not only an amicable social compact but also reexamines Congress’s economic philosophy. He has stated time and time again that he is opposed to the idea of a small number of national champions, or significant corporate organisations, controlling the Indian economy.
However, he is not opposed to large corporations or turning into a supporter of state ownership, as evidenced by the attendance at the Yatra of Raghuram Rajan, a former RBI governor. By encouraging journalists to address their inquiries about the party to its president Mallikarjun Kharge, he attempted to convey throughout the Yatra that the party supports decentralised decision-making. By choosing Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as the Himachal CM, siding with Bhupesh Baghel in his intra-party conflict with T S Singh Deo, and refusing to take action against Ashok Gehlot, the party has attempted to refute claims that the high command runs it according to its whims and fancies. It is also unclear if the Yatra has helped Rahul find second-rung leaders he can trust, a huge problem within the party, who are popular and agree with his ideological worldview.
Has the Yatra aided in restoring the Congress’s and its leaders’ reputation?
Comment down below.
