Can Rahul Gandhi’s discovery of New India lead to revival of Congress? The ‘tapasvi’ needs to undergo penance first

Nehruvian concept of unity based on ‘shared history’ and ‘common economic aspiration’ seems to have collapsed after his death. Neither Gandhi’s “Iswar Allah tere naam” version of secularism hold much appeal in the emerging New India marked by cultural nationalism. After Nehru the country witnessed some of the bloodiest communal violence; Gandhi’s secularism failed to stop division of the country. Congress compromised secularism to vote bank politics, nationalism to anti nationalists.

“Bharat Jodo yatra” sounds an emotional appeal to integrate people, to integrate India. Some Congress leaders see it as a sort of pilgrimage undertaken by ‘Tapasvi’ Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Samadhi is seen as a good political gesture. Earlier he visited Vivekananda Memorial in Kanyakumari and paid tribute to the saint ahead of Bharat Jodo Yatra. He also visited Omkareswar and Mahakaleswar temple of Lord Shiva along with mosques and churches during the yatra. The leader who declared the tiranga his religion will march to Kashmir and hoist he tiranga there. Ironically, The saffron alienation from Congress’s ‘secularism’ is largely manifested in Kashmir which was turned into a graveyard of the Hindus and the mass the exodus that followed. Saffron in the Tiranga was blotted by coining the term ‘saffron terror’. Many saffron haters found safe shelter at 10 Janpath. Can Rahul heal the wounds?

Hostile attitude of some of the Congress leaders towards the Hindus worked to alienate the party from the majority people. Kapil Sibal fought for Babur, Chindambaram invented the term “saffron terror”, Gulam Nabi Azad’s doubtul stand on terrorism while he was the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and his ferocious defence of article 370, Mani Sankar Aiyar’s loose tongue-all worked to alienate the party from Hindu heart. In the infamous Shah Banu case Congress preferred Shariat over Secularism, its leader advocated for ‘Muslim’s right first’ over national resources, its Govt described lord Ram as fictitious, it failed to take a stand on uniform civil code in conformity to the directive principle of the constitution, Cong led UPA Govt brought a bill (communal violence bill) which pre-emptily assumed the majority to be guilty in case of a communal violence, it brought the notorious IMDT Act which worked to make the indigenous Hindu people minority in large part of Assam, it failed to stop genocide of Hindus in J&K, it failed to support triple talaq bill. These are some of the issues which worked to alienate the party from the collective consciousness of the Hindus. BJP, with support from RSS could mobilize the Hindus and worked to further take away the Hindu constituency from the Congress.

Congress has failed the Hindus of the country. The so called secular, and pro-left stand can no longer inspire the people. A positive vision where there would

be no vote bank bank politics, where there would be justice for all can show some light. Leadership has failed not only the people but also its own party workers . Congress has surrendered secularism to the Islamists, nationalism to the anti national elements. Many of its leaders could not accommodate to this and left. Yeats’ As poet W.B.Yeats wrote “Where the centre cannot hold, mere anarchy is loosed upon the world…” lines best explain Congress’ condition today