Bharat Jodo Yatra comes to an end
Rahul Gandhi today unfurled the national flag at Lal Chowk, Srinagar, marking an end to the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
What has it achieved? Nothing. It was just a nautanki, a well-publicised melodrama.
It is said that huge crowds came during the Yatra. But huge crowds also come when a ‘madaari’ comes with his monkeys on the road. However, when it comes to voting in elections they will go on the basis of caste and religion.
The people who joined the Yatra included former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, former Navy chief Admiral Ramdas, film actresses Swara Bhaskar and Pooja Bhat, social activists Medha Patkar and Harsh Mander, great-grandson of Gandhiji Tushar Gandhi, Yogendra Yadav, etc, though how many votes such ’eminent’ persons will secure for Congress in elections ( which was the real purpose of the Yatra, however much some people may have denied it ) is questionable.
In his speech at Red Fort and elsewhere, Rahul spoke homilies about spreading love and opposing hate, obviously with an eye on the Muslim vote bank which had deserted Congress in UP, Bihar, and some other states after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. But Muslims know that they are only 15-16% of the population in UP and Bihar, and an election cannot be won by getting 15-16% votes ( assuming all Muslims come back to the Congress fold ). Upper caste Hindus will vote for the BJP, the OBCs will vote for SP ( in UP ) or other parties, and a section for the BJP, while Dalits will vote largely for the BSP and other parties. So even if all Muslims vote for Congress their vote will be wasted.
During the last Gujarat elections and thereafter Rahul suddenly became a great champion of Hinduism, visiting dozens of Hindu temples, being declared a ‘janeudhaari Shivbhakt’, and going to lake Mansarovar, obviously for getting Hindu votes.
But is there anything in his head? Does he have any concrete plan about how to solve the country’s huge problems of massive poverty, hunger, unemployment, price rise, etc?
He has not mentioned any. All he spoke of was spreading love and opposing hate. And of course, he uttered a pearl of wisdom by saying ”Maine Rahul Gandhi ko maar daala”.
So the real message of the Bharat Jodo Yatra is: Indians, put Congress back to power (of course with my family in command, since we are the royal family of India), as we are unaccustomed to being out of power, like a fish out of water, and not being able to enjoy the loaves of office.
On the conclusion of BJY, it can be said :
Bas ho chuki namaz, musalla uthaiye.
Justice Markandey Katju
