As Rahul Gandhi completed more than half of his Bharat Jodo Yatra through Kerala, a marked change is discernible among the Congress cadre in the State. Even critics of the Grand Old Party accept the fact that the walkathon has brought the warring factions in the Kerala unit of the party together. For the first time in the history of the Congress in the State, no jarring note has been heard till Sunday evening.
“Rahul is clear in his mission as the targets of his attacks are the BJP and RSS which are trying to divide the country on communal lines. The large scale participation of the minority communities in the Yatra that commenced from Kanyakumari prove that which way the wind is blowing in this part of the land,” said K C Venugopal, general secretary, AICC and the main strategist of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Even K Muraleedharan MP, who does not miss any chance to criticise the party leadership was a picture of calm. Muralledharan, son of late K Karunaaran, the former Chief Minister of the State, followed Rahul as a Yatri and opted to be among the cadres rather than fighting for a place to be near the party supremo.
Rahul’s subdued response to the Kerala CPI(M) leaders who taunted the BJY was surprising. “I have a mission to complete and it is not against anybody other then the Prime Minister and the RSS. Perhaps leaders of other opposition parties too should think of launching a mission to infuse the people with confidence,” he said while addressing the media at Kochi.
The unprecedented participation of youth in the Yatra, despite the KPCC not organising any rally, is being seen as the support that is being snowballed in favour of the Nehru-Gandhi family scion. Despite his ruling out the possibility of contesting for the presidential election of the party, the leaders and cadre of the party in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are unanimous in their demand that Rahul Gandhi take over the party chief’s post.
BJP leader Prakash Javadekar ridiculing the BJY has evoked strong condemnation from the civil society. “Javadekar should learn that those who stay in glass houses should not throw stones. How many elections he had contested other than the Rajya Sabha polls? He doesn’t deserve a reply,” said Mohammed Shiyaz, president, Ernakulam District Congress Committee who was the main organizer of the walkathon through the districts of Alappuzha and Ernakulam.