Editorial: Yatra covers 100 days, sends mixed messages

The Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra completed 100 days last week with an assertion by its leading light and former party President Rahul Gandhi that the grand old party would definitely overthrow the Bharatiya Janata Party in the electoral sweepstakes. The yatra’s singular objective has been, in the Wayanad MP’s words, to nullify the politics of hate and polarisation being allegedly promoted by the ruling BJP by spreading a message of love and unity, as also to speak against the glaring economic disparity caused by rising unemployment and skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. All along Mr Gandhi and his party colleagues have termed the yatra apolitical, when asked by the media and observers how a political party can isolate itself from poll considerations. Therefore, this segue into electoral ambitions by the Congress leader sends mixed messages on the true purpose of the yatra that has seen cameos by civil society luminaries, a smattering of film stars, and economists such as former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. This sort of freewheeling march by Congress workers, sympathisers and lay persons unhappy with the present regime has been rarely witnessed before with the yatris covering a good 25 to 30 kilometres by foot daily and pitching tents for the night in a collection of container trucks fitted to resemble dormitories with all basic amenities.

The yatra has crossed eight states so far in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. It did not touch Gujarat where Assembly elections were held on Dec 1 and 5, and Mr Gandhi addressed only two rallies in the poll-bound state, while skipping campaigning altogether in Himachal Pradesh where elections were held on Nov 12. The yatra’s focus on devising an ideological construct of unity in diversity, rejecting the religious polarisation that has become the norm in India, is noble indeed. It aims to galvanise party cadres and convince people that there is an alternate worldview to be embraced. However, in the face of the ruthless poll machine that the BJP is, shunning electoral politics is like admitting defeat even before the battle has begun. The Congress as the oldest party in India has a responsibility to put up a credible fight at the hustings so that voters have a choice and the country is not reduced to a one-party system. If it has to take on board regional parties and form alliances, the Congress must not shy away from doing so.

Welcome pushback

In a rare expression of angst, Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan spoke against the boycott culture that has affected so many recent film releases, during the inauguration of the Kolkata International Film Festival last week. Mr Bachchan, usually the soul of discretion and political correctness, questioned the tendency to demand bans after films have been cleared by the Censor Board, and raised issues of human rights violations and curbing of free speech in his address, while Mr Khan mentioned the toxicity of social media. These views were aired in the wake of calls to boycott Mr Khan’s upcoming release Pathaan and a ban on the song Besharam Rang that was unveiled recently because actor Deepika Padukone wears a saffron swimsuit and Khan a green shirt. This is apparently deeply offensive to the Hindutva brigade that seems to have laid claim to the saffron colour. However, it also cannot be dismissed as irrational demands by fringe groups because Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra and a BJP leader in Maharashtra have also demanded a ban and called the song obscene and vulgar. The true intent of the proposed boycott is clear as both Mr Khan and Ms Padukone are in the firing line, the former for his religious identity and the latter for showing solidarity with JNU students during their protest last year. In fact Mr Mishra went so far as to call her a member of the “tukde tukde gang”. Dissent is clearly a dirty word in the saffron ecosystem. The moral police throwing its weight around to make the Hindi film industry toe the line is not new. While a section has been cowed by their outrageous demands, there are still some who are holding on to the plurality and secularism that has marked the industry since its inception over a century ago. Therefore, the latest pushback by leading voices in Bollywood is a welcome sign.