Will the Ramlila Ground again play a historic role as it did in the past? In the past, at least on two occasions, a rally at the ground proved to be the game changer in Indian politics. First, in 1975, when under JP’s leadership, the Opposition held a historic rally which changed the course of history. Indira Gandhi was so rattled by the JP rally at the Ramlila Maidan that she imposed the Emergency, which proved to be her undoing, and she finally had to leave office after a massive defeat in 1977. Similarly, in 2011, the Anna movement proved to be the Manmohan Singh government’s Waterloo. This movement convinced people beyond doubt that the Manmohan Singh government was the most corrupt since Independence. The Congress party paid a heavy price in the 2014 election, being reduced to 44 seats. This was the Congress party’s most humiliating defeat. Will history repeat itself? I don’t know, but what I do know is that the government is going through a very tough time and has to take major steps to restore its image.
The Emergence Of A Resurgent Congress
It is in this context that the Ramlila Ground rally should be seen, and I am sure the government must have noted a few things. Three points need to be underlined. One, what we are witnessing today is a ‘Resurgent Congress’. Two, Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the undisputed leader of the entire opposition. He is now a ‘Dangerous Challenger’ to the Prime Minister. Three, the government is extremely ‘defensive’, and it does not know how to handle the situation.
The Congress, after its defeat in 2014, had gone into a shell. It was, top to bottom, paralysed. Its obituary was written by senior journalists and intellectuals. Even senior Congressmen and women had given up. No wonder the bulk of Congressmen and women left the party for greener pastures. The majority of them joined the BJP, while others sought space in other parties. Hopelessness was so deep that, after a massive defeat in 2019, Rahul Gandhi said he was the only one fighting the battle. A ‘Group of 23’ leaders emerged in the party to challenge the leadership. A clamour could be heard in the shadows that the Congress should change its leader, and the sooner it gets out from under the shadow of the Nehru-Gandhi family, the better. Fortunately for the family, no one had the guts to say this openly, and they were saved. But it also dawned on Rahul that he needed to do something dramatic to retain his leadership, so he embarked on the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which proved to be a boon for him and the party.
The yatra helped Rahul to understand India better. It motivated the Congress’s grassroots cadre. This is an unwritten rule in politics: when a leader walks and slogs, the cadre is inspired and sheds its inertia. The Congress needed an initial push, and Rahul provided that with his historic march. Since then, Rahul Gandhi’s aggression and frontal attack on the Modi government have filled Congress workers with fresh energy. They are no longer lazy and polite workers but have learnt to hit back at the BJP in the same coin. Their aggression is visible in TV channel debates. The last few months have been a revelation for the party. Nobody had imagined that the Congress could organise such a massive crowd. And it did not happen once, but twice: first, on October 12, when the Congress Party and other protestors walked from the Barakhamba Road to the Supreme Court; and second, the walk to the Ramlila Maidan. This is no mean achievement for a party that was fighting an existential crisis a few years back.
Rahul Gandhi Emerges As Opposition's Challenger
Secondly, the emergence of Rahul Gandhi as an undisputed leader of the opposition and a dangerous challenger to Modi is an important development in Indian politics. After Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul has transformed himself. He is no longer the prince who was once ridiculed by everyone for being a dynast and a Pappu. Now, he is a street fighter, not shy of looking into the eyes of the PM and challenging the might of his empire. India loves an underdog. Rahul Gandhi is today seen as a rebel fighting to restore democracy in the country and to reclaim the ground that the Constitution has conceded in the past few years to the forces of communalism. He is seen to be challenging the very attempt to employ the edifice of the Hindu Rashtra, either by force or by law, on the Indian state. How true that perception is can be contested, but there is no denying that today he is the only one giving the Modi government sleepless nights.
In a democracy, that is a welcome sign. No leader should have a free run and free lunch. An unchallenged leader inevitably becomes authoritarian, even if they believe in democracy. An extremely popular leader begins to believe he is invincible. Long ago, Nehru wrote that he could become a dictator because he was so popular. He wrote this in a 1937 article, which he penned under the pseudonym ‘Chanakya’. He wrote this in Modern Review; the title of the article was ‘Rashtrapati’.
Modi Government On The Defensive
Thirdly, the Modi government is in a Defensive Mode. The government, which was famous for weaving narratives at will, finds itself in limbo and does not know how to respond to Rahul and CJP’s onslaught. No doubt the CJP has made a huge contribution in breaking the myth that no power on earth can force the government to seek the resignation of its minister. Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was the beginning on which Rahul has now built a narrative that the government is manipulative and is playing with the electoral process. The truth about the SIR will come out once the Supreme Court decides on the matter, but till then the battle is on.
Government Faces A Crucial Political Test
If the Modi government wants to come out of this struggle unscathed, it will have to think outside of the box. It will have to take some revolutionary steps. The government needs major surgery; cosmetic efforts will not go far. The UP election is close, and a course correction should usher in quickly. The accusation that the Opposition is funded by enemies of the country will not work. This is the same playbook that Indira Gandhi used in the mid-70s, and it failed miserably.
In my opinion, this is the toughest battle the Prime Minister has faced in his long career. This is his most difficult test. Whether he comes out victorious, with flying colours, remains to be seen. The country is heading for the most interesting times. Only history will tell how good Rahul Gandhi is as a challenger.
The writer is Co-Founder, SatyaHindi.com, and author of Hindu Rashtra. He tweets at @ashutosh83B
