HOW CHANGE BEGINS WITH RAHUL GANDHI’S BHARAT JODO YATRA

By Sharath Chandra Vemuganti

TheBharat Jodo Yatra drew mammoth crowds.

I walked in a daze, my left foot following the right, right following the left. This movement became automatic. Lunch and dinner breaks were the only scale to measure the distance I walked on any given day are the only scale to measure the distance I walked because time flew away during the Yatra or the Walkathon. Minor soreness in my body, aching legs, and calluses in my feet was testimony to the number of steps I walked, around 30,000 each day.

Slogans such as “Jodo – Bharath jodo,” “Jai congress,” and “Rahul Gandhi zindabad” filled the air. Scores of enthusiastic and excited congress sympathizers joined the already existing dense crowd forming a huge cavalcade that drove along the villages, towns, muddy roads, and national highways before encamping for food and rest. Every evening, the Yatra concluded with a roadside public meeting addressed by Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament from Waynad, Kerala. Tens of top congress leaders from Delhi and Hyderabad, hundreds of party workers, the CRPF, Telangana police, and other security forces all played roles in making the Yatra a success story every step of the way. “Most NGOs in the country that work at the grassroots level are represented as a symbol of solidarity. They are supporting a Congress leader for the first time in their lives,” said a senior journalist when I asked for his opinion. “Rahul Gandhi’s focus has been on the message of forging unity in the country, which is targeted to be divided into religious lines by the BJP,” he added. “I was always critical of Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and non-serious attitude, but now I have to appreciate him. I can tell this “Any leader who goes to people and listens to their problems will always win” Rahul Gandhi is no exception,” said a senior IPS officer.

“No one paid us to come, we were provided a vehicle with a full tank of diesel, and we’re covering all other expenses,” said a group of people from a village 200 km away from the Yatra. With great enthusiasm to see Rahul Gandhi, people stood all along the roads, business streets, and residential colonies to see and greet Mr. Gandhi. They waved back happily when Mr. Gandhi waved at them. People from all walks of life stepped up with Rahul Gandhi. All ages of children, women, and men. Young Men dominated the Yatra.

During the Yatra, people gave their opinions both explicitly and indirectly. When I casually questioned a bystander in the town of Kothur, en route to Hyderabad, about the Gandhi family’s leadership, he retorted, “Can you show me any leader in the Congress party who can pull such a huge crowd? “I don’t know what this huge presence of people indicates, but it is bringing back the long-buried memories of the Congress party,” said a merchant in a medical shop in Mahbubnagar. Many people said that they wanted to see Rahul Gandhi. Young people in Devarakadra town said they wanted to see and greet the TPCC president, Mr. Revanth Reddy.

“My father drives a truck, and I am a college dropout. I support the Congress party because my father and grandfather supported it, “said a young Muslim man in Shadnagar. Meeting Party workers from all 29 states of India at the Yatra’s camp was an entirely new experience for me.

Mr. Rahul Gandhi was very sober and responsible when interacting with children, students, farmers, senior people, and party workers and heard about their difficulties. He was curious to know the local customs. Rahul ate their native food, danced with tribes, and played with kids. He prioritized people over leaders and did not campaign for Congress. I told Mr. Rahul Gandhi, “Every NRI, though they don’t vote in India, speaks daily to their parents, siblings, and friends. Thus, they can influence 2, 3, or 4 votes. Every inactive NRI vote is equivalent to 3 or 4 active Indian votes. Hence you should address a huge meeting of overseas Indians, and it should help connect the diaspora’s young generation to the Congress party”. He listened to me attentively and said that that was a good idea.

Along the way, I was surprised and mostly disappointed when almost everyone I met, whether they were friends, relatives, or political leaders, was curious to know if I was interested in electoral politics. Most of them did not understand that my social consciousness, patriotism, and belief in secularism and socialism led me to travel to India and join the Yatra.

President of IOCUSA Mohinder Singh Gilzian flew to India, as did many NRIs to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

IOC USA General Secretary Rajendar Dichpally also joined the Yatra.

While hundreds of NRI’s participated in Yatra in India, as a mark of solidarity, members of the Indian overseas Congress organized walkathons in various countries, wherever they lived. Mr. Sam Pitroda, Chairman of IOC, and other leaders inspired the Indian diaspora across the globe, particularly in the USA. NRIs from various countries, including the USA, the U.K., Australia, and the Middle East, were seen participating in solidarity with the cause of the Walkathon, representing an umbrella organization, “The Indian overseas congress.” This effort is Indicative of the growing patriotism against nationalism and divisiveness in the Indi diaspora.

Congress suffered major setbacks due to the rapid rise of communal politics in India. It may take some more time to see Congress regain its glory again. But I am confident that a significant change is about to occur in Indian politics, and the Bharath Jodo Yatra of Mr. Rahul Gandhi is the beginning of that forthcoming political change in India,” said professor Yogendra Yadav when I asked his opinion about the Walkathon.No recent national-level politician has undertaken this arduous Walkathon since former Prime Minister Chandrasekhar in 1982. Bharath Jodo Yatra will register itself as a milestone in the history of India that future generations will read about. Indisputably, Rahul Gandhi’s image has soared quickly. It has established Rahul Gandhi as a serious politician who is a patriot and people-oriented.When Rahul Gandhi finishes this Yatra in Kashmir, the people of India will see a new, much evolved national leader who will not only be an equal counterweight to Shri Narendra Modi but one who has heard one-on-one, the voices of more Indians than any leader in our history. Jai Hind.