The Bharat Jodo Yatra is an Indian Unicorn capable of pushing India to the skies. It’s a powerful statement, RSS establishing Status Quo on their evil Communal politics using Oppression will be challenged outright.
So, I questioned myself on Why it’s so old technique, but still Unique?
The Yatra as such could be viewed as an old playbook adopted by Congress, inspired by pre-Independence struggles, as an antidote to Advani’s Rath Yatra aimed at Hindu Supremacy. While Congress is taking the long route like Karthikeya going around the World for a Mango, RSS affiliated Parties like BJP / AAP are taking the Ganesha route to poke the voters’ mind-space with their poisonous agenda, “How about hating your fellow Minority neighbour to attain pleasure, to compensate for half meal eaten away by inflation, unemployment and taxation, rather toiling hard for actual contentment and prosperity?”
Let’s Sample these reel to real PR techniques…. Kejriwal copies successful political movies of his rising times with Rang De Basanti type Protests, Indian movie type Broom symbol weeding out the Corrupt (Hope he is not watching Harry Potter to come up with “Jai Potter” antics) along with Nayak type Common man rising to Power fantasy with PR running on hundreds of Crores to establish “Connect” as Freebie Mass Leader.
While Kejriwal copied all mass movies to establish himself as the real life “Reel-Icon” BJP got its fingers burnt attempting to hijack Bollywood with its own alternate fictional History movies like Prithviraj, bombing at Box Office regularly. Caravan reports Sangh lobbies successful directors to orchestrate saffronized film making with intrinsic Brahmanical Supremacy and extrinsic Muslim hate.
Of course, we got the “Bridegroom of BJP” meditating (or winking? just paranoid about his Camera crew) on election day. He visits his Mother like “Snow Magic Mushroom White and Seven Cameramen” setting up the fairy tale scene on an otherwise normal home visit. He amps up emotions with weeps and bursts during election campaigns, on how he has been unfairly abused as “Neech” to provoke casteism. In reality, he regrets too much on Gujarat riots for not “controlling” media rather on those lost 2000 lives. Ironically, the same 24×7 “Neech” Bridegroom, brought EWS Quota to favour the Forward Castes over the lower castes simmering on growing inequality.
When all the above RSS offshoots are adopting to cutting-edge technology to gain mind space of the public, leveraging mass psychology techniques to establish an emotional connect with voters, Congress has adopted to a Physically intensive and demanding yatra as alternate Politics, Walking around India where the majority of the trekking path is not populated at all.
Old is… just Old…
The major advantage of this age-old yatra technique is that BJP cannot replicate such a journey at top level as its leadership is too old to perform one. All they can do is just wink at Cameramen on Election day in the name of tapasya at Kedarnath caves.
Yatra, if done well, with more such outreach would bode well with the masses causing an organic ripple effect on its Journey, rather synthetic mass media propaganda employed by its rivals. There is nothing more powerful than a human connect in Politics.
Social Media, all that glitters is not Gold.
Social Media has its limits. All the twitter debates happening within lakhs of its users can neither prevail over masses nor decide elections. At the max, twitter could act as nascent incubator of ideas. It’s a quite different kind of demography catering to Political Beasts and Trolls rather ones who don’t bother too much about how Politics influences their daily lives. Same about Facebook, where the demography is much different with personal Circles, politics is not the mainstay.
Whatsapp remains the Cult University for BJP where the communal supremacist feed gets pushed to the throats of the Mobile Phone Holders. Congress should engage such idle minds with positivity. Yatra could establish connect matching what thousand forwards could do. Age old Pamphlets and creative Posters could do the much needed inception of Congress ideology and BJP’s inadequacies, if done well.
BJY, The Swigato Unicorn for Last Mile Message Delivery
No doubt, BJP dominates Social Media but, RSS tries to infiltrate politically cocooned-cat-on-the-wall voters to further their Supremacist agenda with door step campaigns flush with crony cash and dedicated manpower. It’s quite easier to sway or corrupt such impression-less minds personally at their homes. Congress need to bring their ideology debate at every such house rather ignorantly tweeting ever after, unaware of being controlled by Media Lords who could kill them instantly, with a reach switch just before crucial election. So, the Yatra opens more such avenues for debates and much essential political awareness among ignorants and neutrals.
Yatra, the Cure for Congress’ Stockholm Err… Modi Syndrome.
Congress, ( including myself on the capacity of a loyal Sympathiser ) and Rahul Gandhi were obsessed with Modi for last 8 years giving him the much needed free publicity as Mass Leader, portraying him as Leader without any alternative in Indian Political space. Almost all of RG’s attacks, quite brave of him though, focused on Modi, acting as per the Media Recipe cooked by Modi himself.
Modi derives his strength on people talking about him, good or bad. Even this article could act as vitamin for such narcissist types with more of mentions than the actual content. Congress will do better talking more of India and its issues rather worshipping Modi. With this yatra, RG has focused more on India and on his own transformation, with less of Modi worshipping. In fact, the lack of Modi limelight in Congress narrative would have pained BJP more than anything else. PM has been reduced to a much smaller Servant entity with the mammoth idea of United India. Congress will do better if they kept RG busy till 2024 with such mass outreach where he shines with genuine compassion, rather on his weak election governance skills, where killer instincts could do well than Tapasya mindset.
Karma Hai toh Mumkin Hain!
BJP had a lot to its advantage when it was in Opposition. It was able to do absolute mockery on Congress on Inflation, Corruption and inefficiency. Now, this has turned out to be a cruel Joke on BJP themselves. Congress nowadays use Modi’s pre-2014 attacks as reference for every governance issue. Maybe Karma is at work for BJP actively copying every impressive social media campaign,
Maybe Congress just needs to learn on Mo-Sha’s masterclass on campaigning against inefficient Rulers in 2014, rather laughing at Modi’s absurdisms, who clearly knows people got very feeble memory in politics and cutting them off opposition’s cries keeps them blissfully unaware of his own atrocities. To top it all INC just cannot shame the shameless, especially with insignificant tweets.
Rahul Gandhi’s “DiCaprio Inception” Moment?
Congress could use the mis-governance to their advantage, rather getting satisfied with ridiculing BJP. All they need is to plant a powerful seed of doubt among masses about BJP’s inabilities so as to reap in 2024. So far this remains a wishful thinking as Congress has been so lame on its mass outreach, just not enough to shake BJP.
The Yatra has the possibility of dangerous outcome of just walking on a treadmill, if it does not create the Ripple effect on masses and inception of doubts about BJP, though it’s a very promising start. It’s a curse, INC remains an unteachable mediocrity without evolving towards a convincing alternative, and this is not about Kharge or RG, it’s about the Cadre as such, acting like termites sapping the party of all power in return for nothing. It’s a painful fact that what remains as great barrier between Congress Party and Voters, is its own selfish leadership and directionless cadre, never working to its potential, jumping off the ship even without a hole in the bottom of its ship but imagining one.
So far, we can safely conclude that BJP has clearly won the Inception rounds so far, keeping Congress leadership and Cadre in self doubt on their own abilities and potential. How they were able to fix a Grand old Party remains the Million dollar mystery so far.
The “Honesty” tap which never worked.
Got reminded of MMS as PM, offering a piece of his helpless vision of tapping the 10% honest bureaucrats to turn around towards corruption free India. Congress needs just the same overhaul to create a working machinery to pose a challenge to even poisonous mushrooming Parties like AAP and mosquitoes like Kejriwal and Owaisi who could spread Malaria in India if left scot free. It’s interesting how AAP, whose ideology is similar to BJP, is able to cut into Congress votes more than BJP.
Their success could be attributed to their doorstep personal polarisation campaign. Of course, offering freebies is a level playing field between AAP and INC. So far, Congress has made more mistakes on appointing incapable Middle tier leadership who seem more like Durbaris rather War horses. Wonder what kind of funny show Sidhu hosted to the Gandhis to commit logic-less suicide in Punjab. It just shows Gandhis don’t read the electorate well and lack the ground knowledge or judgement to even pose a challenge to latecomers like AAP.
Politics is a State of Mind. Poverty is… not.
Congress’s known history of “too little too late strategy,” does not seem to change so far. Congress need to come out of this mental block of BJP’s monstrous control over media and reach. They just need to look to south on how they ridicule BJP everyday as if its a light-weight-fruit-fly. Not sure Poverty is a State of mind as its also about empty pockets with the parasitic Government hanging on to the taxpayers’ tits, sucking up taxes.
Foreseeing irrational failure, fearing BJP, has been Congress state of mind for a decade without any doubts or uncertainty. Of course, BJP is dangerous and shameless enough to do anything for electoral gains, but the Public is suffering everyday at Petrol Bunks or Grocery shops or any ridiculous service eating up their pockets in the name of GST. Congress just needs to encash on it rather stomping over such golden opportunities. It was inflation which brought Congress down in 2014, more than Corruption and governance paralysis. Now, BJP has doubled down on Inflation, pushing the middle class towards poverty and INC could not turn the tables on BJP.
The Immorality of the Story: Nothing is permanent, not even Modi.
Though Ganesha may have got the fruit painlessly, it’s Karthikeya, who acquired the wisdom by traveling around and learnings to avoid such pitfalls in future. Hopefully, the lessons learned by Congress will teach BJP that they cannot win every-time performing “campfire” around EVMs while failing miserably on governance / welfare.
“Now you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was goin’ somewhere, I was runnin’!” – Forrest
What could have been better?
Always used to wonder why Congress as a Party gets so much flak among the Public and Elite Media. It could just be due to their openness for new ideas and liberal outlook to embrace winds of change. But it’s also about people pushing the capable to achieve new heights, knowing BJP can’t progress much with its stone age agenda and civility. The best part is Congress don’t muzzle opinions like BJP does, when it feels insecure about expressed ideas. BJP attested on this particular thought process, when a Minister claimed they could not achieve success in Kerala because of their high quality education and literacy rate. No wonder BJP could not capture the electorate much below Vindhyas where the economic and social indices are much better than the Cow belt.
Focus on Urban Pockets and populated clusters
Yatra as such moves on like an amoeba without braking much for anything. Perhaps they could have spent more time on highly populated clusters giving the Yatris much needed rest and rejuvenation. The Leaders could focus on performing an urban circuit for few days, to reach more people on its way and open more avenues for moderates to participate or be aware of the Yatra’s idea. Also this will ensure RG can work with more NGOs and Service groups. Currently, many complain they could not meet him owing to State Leadership Checkpoints. The more RG gets autonomous on personal outreach the more it helps him to understand his own Party’s factional Politics better.
Ground preparations for Yatra
The media is completely shut on this massive Yatra, moving like a giant anaconda with serpentine crowds, strangely invisible to the Public at large. The Cadre could ensure a week long campaign locally with Posters and street level publicity if they could not attract media attention. As such, it looks like the Cadre and Local leader are quite happy to erect posters the day before the trek route to please the Gandhis rather working on the real outreach campaign. RG could do a favour himself with FM shows and other novel techniques to attract immediate local attention, on the way rather routine Press Conferences and closed interactions which has very limited outreach. At the risk of sounding harsh, this entire exercise looks like Marathon for Diabetes, rather meticulously orchestrated political campaign for Unity. If it’s not, try counting the differences and I am not seeing much.
Preparation is where BJP has an edge over Congress, their inorganic but tightly controlled campaigns centering around Modi has been perceived effective on its reach and message. BJP works on the bigger picture controlling media, cadre and Message with clear targets and metrics. They at least know if their initiatives are success or failure. Congress still looks like an amateur Circus compared to BJP.
Making People Think
Let’s take CAA agitations or Farmer protests where BJP could not win through both of them, just because the protests had clear message and strong public support, pushing the blushing BJP to save its own face by reverting back those laws. No one else other than Farmers could make Modi apologise on national television so far. While this shows the major fault lines of irrational decisions within BJP, they did much better on bouncing back with resilient course correction. If we could see through all election campaigns, almost all crucial election campaigns had Modi performing such shameless somersaults without any remorse to get to masses. Be it Cow menace in UP, Farm laws in Punjab, BJP was made to eat its own humble BS, and it did gladly.
It’s high time Congress starts pondering on pressing BJP towards such submissions, or at least raising the right and persistent questions cornering BJP to perform such election time somersaults, sponsored by INC. Day dreaming people will ditch Modi on his utter failures is like trying to light a Diwali Bijli pouring water on it. Unless Congress fires people’s thoughts on BJP’s failures, and keeps investing itself on same old measures, it will be going through law of diminishing returns.
Farmers had a firm resolve as it meant a grave danger to their livelihood and future. Muslims had a firm resolve against CAA as it was a Do-or-Die civil war type scenario. Now it’s a question if the Congress Cadre has a firm resolve to uproot BJP, to save themselves from extinction, or just make merry fighting over diminishing luxury posts. Partly, it’s due to Congress culture, encouraging mindless subordination in lieu of actual target and outcome based work.
RG as brand to reckon with…
BJP’s 2014 Playbook started with establishing Modi as a Brand for 4 years post election. The (anti)corruption movement by the Juice guy and lethal attacks on UPA-2 were just offshoots once Modi got established as Mass leader of Hindutva. Mamaji and then Chattisgarh CM played sidekicks fancying themselves as decent alternatives only to get kicked out of arena. Modi had RSS firmly on his grip, turning Mohan Bhagwat to a lame duck scared on his survival due to few saffron terror attacks with shades of RSS in 2010s.
The major skillset of Mo-Sha to milk anyone with their fear psychosis, be it terror for Bhagwat and Greed / Corruption for elected politician horse-trading is the real Unicorn of BJP so far. I would assume 2024 would see even more such honey-money-traps to nullify the growing resistance against Mo-Sha. RSS is now fully in control of Modi with so much goodies and luxury showered on their members celebrating Christmas everyday with Modi Santa. Sadly, even Congress is held in Modi’s half control with a long waiting lobby, looking out for an opportunity to win backstab brownies and selfish self-goal. I would expect Modi to do a Putin on nullifying opposition with all cheap tricks possible, with all ideas he got from Russia and Israel with Love along with Petrol and Pegasus.
This is what compels Brand RG as a crucial working phenomenon for 2024, rather remain a symbolic flagpole for BJP to claim victory on TINA factor, pitting Modi against a saintly Leader who choose to renounce rather denounce BJP. BJP wants RG to remain as De-facto Congress chief but remain idle on penance, preaching Love and Harmony. So, this Yatra is fine and as per BJP’s wish list, with a little frustration when it reached Delhi. So, this Yatra is more of a litmus test for BJP and so far it has proved a little toxic for their 2024 Dreams, but not enough for Congress to capture Red Fort.
Brand RG needs to be clear on what it stands for. It needs to identify a compelling narrative which will be the first remembrance to the public on the mention of RG. Unity works well as ideology, but what RG offers as Brand to the masses for 2024, will decide 2024 on 100+ seats. So far, INC is nowhere, standing clueless still at crossroads. Humble Mixture Savoury is a better Brand for Unity and Diversity than present Congress. Currently the Congress itself is a not a wellformed mixture representing all caste and creed. Most of their Ex Ministers were upper class privileged classmates of young Gandhis. Their top leadership is quite heavy with upper class, with many secret admirers of Brahmanical BJP with Kharge as an exception.
Brand RG needs endorsements from public figures, Modi got a boost when Tata endorsed him, making him a Darling of Entrepreneurs, reverting what happened in Commerce Conference post 2002 riots. It was amusing when a certain Sherawat Termed Modi as sexiest Man to amp up his image from nowhere. This could be a guess between someone’s practical knowledge or Cobrapost Sting campaign on Celebrities tweeting for Money. Kamal Hasan is a good addition for RG. Bollywood almost struggles with every release even when they remain silent, entire episode sounding like another abysmal film by an Agnihotri. It will be a do or die scenario for any endorser and Congress need to pitch in with an invincible campaign to attract endorsement superpower. Shah’s no stones unturned approach need to be matched up to build Brand RG. The mental block with RG that endorsers will have problems with BJP, should be replaced with a warm assurance that they are in a safe Boat, irrespective of consequences.
“”I am single. Waiting for a man who has more balls than me” – Mallika Sherawat
The best part of Sherawat’s historic declaration on Modi was that the mainstream media, remaining so silent not to remind us on 2002,, but hyperactive on a scam nobody understands, published her adoration religiously. Again it might be a guess on Cobrapost sting on a media Lord asking for hundred crores to praise the New India’s Lord. So, Congress need to match up the Mo-Sha foxes with nuanced handling of media and celebrity to stand a chance in 2024. Brand RG needs to be assertive and accommodating rather hesitating even on Press Conferences that BJP would harm him and others… Wounds are quite normal in War and Politics.
Brand RG needs to ask the right questions to public and seek answer on Modi’s wrongdoings. If BJP doesn’t bother to answer, they will eventually have to perform somersaults to save their Bass (-with B silent) among the public. Congress campaign need to be future proof on their campaigns to engage on such somersaults doubling down on damaging BJP.
Brand RG needs to go lengths to make this a massive success rather happy with what he gets. The campaign needs to strengthened centrally with a killer instinct and never say die attitude supporting crew, to stand a chance to match up historic Farmer protests.
“Impossible is Nothing” – The shoes used on Yatra.
Timepass Politics 