
In 1990, at a time when India was becoming rapidly more polarized, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), LK Advani, led a religious-political march across the country. The ‘Ram Rath Yatra’ took place in support of demands for a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram to be built on the site of the Babri mosque in the temple town of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
It toured India from September to October 1990 and left in its wake communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims in the north of the country. Two years later, the Babri mosque was destroyed by a mob of fanatics, and in 2019 the Supreme Court handed the site exclusively to Hindus (See ‘Control alt delete’, NI 542).
The yatra had an instant impact on the political fortunes of the BJP which sustained through to 2014 and 2018 when the party won two consecutive mandates under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since these victories, India has also seen increased discrimination against minorities, especially Muslims, as well as spiralling polarization.
It seems to be kind of a poetic justice then that 32 years later, another yatra would be launched by none other than Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress, the BJP’s historic rival. The BJP has left no stone unturned to paint Gandhi as a useless and reluctant politician, a member of the elite with no real connection to the ground realities or the people. Gandhi, for most of his political life, also seemed to have been ill at ease with being the chief of the much embattled Congress party, a role that he renounced in 2019.
The Gandhi dynasty – Rahul’s grandmother Indira and father Rajiv were both prime ministers who were assassinated while in office – have always had a groundswell of popular support, but none of them had to battle a constant malicious personal campaign in the way Rahul has had to.
So, in September 2022, when Gandhi began his Bharat Jodo Yatra with the specific aim of dispersing polarization and connecting with the people, no-one paid much attention. Many dismissed it as a publicity stunt ahead of campaigning for the 2024 general election. Yet the yatra soon proved itself to be so much more, finding a life of its own despite being barely covered by the mainstream media. Gandhi walked miles everyday, alongside ordinary people – talking with them, listening to them. It infused the Congress party with a new energy. Many opposition leaders also joined him, as well as actors, activists and other public figures, along with thousands of Indian citizens.
Throughout cold, rain and snowfall the march did not stop. Gandhi grew an unruly beard, and showed up every day in a white t-shirt, trousers and sports shoes. The image of the well-shaven, suave, foreign-educated member of the elite was soon replaced with that of a man who was approachable and available to the common person.
How much of an impact this yatra has had on battling hate in India remains to be seen. The coming elections in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will show what material gains might have been collected for the Congress, and whether Gandhi has forged a legacy that will serve him in times to come.