Why, How and For Whom ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’?

  • B.P. Singh

Incurring personal sacrifices, the heroes of our national movement and the countrymen won a battle 75 years ago; the fight that was against British colonialism. The cruelties suffered by the people of this country due to the politics of oppression, exploitation and divisiveness of the British colonial power was a horrifying sight; something that is if repeated by any power, political party or person, can push the country to the verge of destruction.

The people in power at the Centre today are basically messiahs of disruptive forces due to their ideology. At the time when our forefathers were shedding their blood to protect the motherland during the national movement, these people were working as informers of the national movement, spreading the politics of hatred, fear and violence, dividing Indians on the basis of religion. They are the messiahs of dirty politics who have tried their best to make India socially, economically and culturally impoverished in the last about seven-eight years. But the one thing that they have mastered the skill of is the destruction of India’s communal harmony and political order; be it spreading hatred and lies on social media to mislead people or trying to hide the failures of the government with the help of TV and print media. BJP-RSS and their related organizations spreading communal hatred have ruined the political culture of this country to an extent that we could only imagine how much time and effort it will take to repair the damage done to social harmony.

At a time when the basic democratic structure of this country is under severe attack, at a time when the people of the country are forced to remain poor, hungry and unemployed due to bad economic policies, at the same time the attack on country’s historical and cultural shared heritage by the present regime and its allies is intolerable. The height of the insensitivity of the present government can be gauged from the fact that when the country is troubled by all these problems, this government has worked to deprive the people even of the possibility of speaking their mind; using various government institutions unconstitutionally and unethically.

Be it media or other democratic institutions, this government is trying to paint all the institutions with ‘one idea and one colour’ - the idea of dividing the soul of this country and the colour of hatred. In such a critical situation, the question that arises is from whom to expect now? And what should be our way? The answer to these questions emerged from the Congress Party’s ‘Udaipur Chintan Shivir’, in which, under the leadership of the then Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi, it was decided that the Congress Party, by establishing a dialogue with the people of India, would create social harmony among the people by removing the fear of this cruel power from within them and will work tirelessly to interconnect the hearts of the people of this country. The outline of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ was prepared for this noble cause of nation building. This ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ on foot- a journey of nation building which started on September 07, under the leadership of Shri Rahul Gandhi, is going on from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, passing through different villages, cities and states of the country. This yatra is continuously moving forward by spreading and strengthening the ideas of the heroes of the national movement, the values of the national movement and the basic ideas of our Constitution among the masses.

Vision of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is leaving its deep impact on the minds and hearts of the people of India today in a hopeful way, becoming a living slogan for innumerable Indians. The success of this Yatra has forced people to think that the hatred being spread by BJP-RSS in the society and the country is detrimental for every individual. Today, this yatra looks like a great political movement. Since this Yatra is an important campaign for our country, it is extremely important to outline its core ideas and vision. The first important thing to note in this context is that the entire yatra and its design is naturally influenced by the Indian tradition of ‘Padyatra’ (foot travel). It has been said in the later Vedic texts ‘Charaiveti-Charaiveti’ means to keep moving in every situation. If we go a little further, we will see that a large part of the biography of Lord Ram and Sita in the Ramayana is devoted to walking continuously even in various difficult situations. Similarly, whether it is Shaivite tradition, Jain tradition, Buddhist, Sikh or Sufi tradition, ‘Padyatras’ have always had their own moral and religious importance in every tradition.

The importance of ‘Padyatras’ is no less even in the Indian independence movement and its credit goes to the supreme leader of this movement, Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. When the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi wanted to know, understand and feel the pulse of the country, he undoubtedly used many vehicles for his journey, but when he wanted to interact with the people, when he wanted to communicate with them and when he wanted to give that dialogue the form of a movement, he gave priority to ‘Padyatras’. Among these journeys, the two most important of his journeys are certainly the Dandi March and the Noakhali March. While the purpose of the first yatra was to weaken the colonial rule, the purpose of the second yatra was to establish communal harmony in the country. It is a beautiful spectacle that today, under the leadership of Shri Rahul Gandhi, the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is moving ahead with the spirit of these two objectives. On one hand, this yatra is opening a front against the unjust policies and governance of the present government, while on the other hand, this yatra is also making a lot of efforts to establish communal harmony. Very few people are aware of the history when it is made, but the way this yatra has been set out to gradually convey its objectives to the general public, few people will doubt that this yatra is a historical event. The ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ has definitely infused an incredible energy and commitment among the opposition and the people of the country.

There is definitely a historical background in the foundation of this yatra. The yatra, along with the Indian tradition of yatras, draws inspiration from India’s independence movement. However, it should also be kept in mind that this journey is fundamentally influenced by our present, contemporary circumstances and visions of the future. This yatra holds an important place in contemporary politics because it is directly a fight to save the world’s largest democracy. It is an open rebellion against the push of this country towards authoritarian rule. This yatra is against inflation and unemployment, against violence and hatred, against turning people into mere puppets. It is a struggle to save the great institutions of this country. This journey gives hope that someday the screaming media will go out of their studios in between the public. This yatra is like a fresh wisp of breath with a sense of resurgence and re-invigoration after experiencing deep frustration. That is why this journey is motivating the people of India to explore its power and its possibilities.

‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ emerging as an alternative to ‘Godi Media’

As this journey is progressing One village, one city, and one state at a time - it is probing the conscience of the people of India, from which it is becoming clear that this yatra has emerged as an alternative to a democratic dialogue. In other words, the way ‘Godi Media’ has glorified the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its leaders by turning away from journalism of public concern, is a matter of great shame. India’s media is being condemned all over the world for ignoring the programmes and struggles of the opposition parties and suppressing the voice of the people. India’s rank in the World Press Freedom Index has steadily declined due to interference in the functioning of the media by the present regime. In such a situation, ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ has emerged as such an initiative in which the issues of the people, the voice of the rights of the people and the voices of rebellion/dissent against the government are being heard and understood. Today, the views of the people and communities who had not been reached by the media for years, are being properly recorded through ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The most important thing is that this yatra is passing through different cities and states of India and when it reaches its destination, its passengers will have a living picture of India in their mind. What the people of India want today and what India as a democracy will give to the world, the answers to these questions will come only from this yatra. We also hope that this yatra will take the form of a manifesto of the hopes of the people of India, which will decide the course of the political and social life of this country. As Shri Rahul Gandhi is meeting people and talking to them, somewhere the country’s Godi media is also feeling that it has cheated democracy by suppressing the voice of the people. Along with this, the public is understanding that all the people including Shri Rahul Gandhi who are walking parts of this yatra are walking with the support of Shri Rahul Gandhi’s values. This yatra has been successful in showing spontaneously its morality and it will certainly take the shape of an ethical political movement.

Whose Yatra?

From the very beginning of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the way questions were raised by BJP-RSS and baseless allegations were levelled against Hon’ble Shri Rahul Gandhi, it has become clear that this Yatra has already registered its popularity among the people of the country from the very first day itself. But the purpose of this yatra was not just to get its presence registered. The purpose of this yatra is to connect with people and connect them with one another. Those who indulge in the politics of hatred and fear have weakened the social fabric of the country. The purpose of this yatra is to re-strengthen it. The way the photos and videos of Rahul ji with various people are coming up, the feelings therein are indescribable. That’s why no grand word or any academic language in the world can define this yatra. Looking at the way this yatra has progressed till now and is getting people’s support, it can be said with certainty that it is a yatra of people who love India.

Many people raise the question whether this yatra is only Congress’ yatra? Is this Yatra only for Shri Rahul Gandhi and other Bharat Yatris? In response to this, the first thing that can be said is that the way the leaders of different political parties have walked with Rahul ji and other passengers in this yatra, it is clear that this yatra is not just a yatra of the Congress. This is the yatra of every citizen seeking communal harmony and progress in the country. Although there is no doubt that the concept and planning of this yatra is basically the leadership of the Congress party, but it is only natural. The sacrifices made by the Congressmen to establish those values with which this yatra is being carried forward, have no match. We should also not forget that in the democratic country where we see freedom and justice as a right, the thinking of the Congress party has been leading in the making of that democratic country. The Congress has a very beautiful ‘value’ which definitely emanates from Gandhism. This is the value of humility. Congressmen have always given importance to humility and with this humility, the people of the Congress party have been successful in building a cordial relationship with people of other ideologies as well. The people going on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ have also understood the point of Shri Rahul Gandhi that “You can change the world by being humble”. He is continuously walking in this journey with the same humility, along with members of various political parties, civil society and various organizations.

If this question is considered more deeply about whose yatra is this, then we should remember the question of India’s great leader Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in which he asks who is Bharat Mata? Or in other words who all are included in Bharat Mata? In response to this, Pandit Nehru says that although the mountains, hills and fields etc. of this country are a part of Mother India, but first of all Mother India is the people of this country, the weakest and the poorest man of this country. If we say on the same lines, then undoubtedly ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is the yatra of the people of this country and above all it is the yatra of the weakest and the poorest man of this country. This is the reason why the diversity of India and the small, varied dreams of its people are coming alive in this yatra. It is not hidden from anyone that ever since this journey started till now, people of different communities, religions, beliefs, languages, dialects, cities, states, genders, castes, and tribes have joined the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from time-to-time and expressed solidarity with it. If anyone is still unable to see or understand these things, then it is really a matter of concern for him because it is very clear that ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is not a yatra of any individual or organization, but of India and its innumerable people. This is the hope of crores of people who love Bharat Mata.

We have set out to spread the light of love, brotherhood and progress in the country. Come join us.

(The writer is a AICC Secretary, Co-incharge of West Bengal & Andaman and Nicobar Islands & also Secretary, Central Election Authority)