New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra reaching the iconic Lal Chowk in Srinagar is significant as it is the first such effort by a political leader in decades and has several portends, both for the sensitive border Union Territory as well as the country, AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar tells Amit Agnihotri in an exclusive interview.
Q) What is the political significance of Rahul Gandhi unfurling the national flag at Lal Chowk?
It is very significant. The yatra is the first foot march up to the Lal Chowk in Srinagar by a political leader in decades. Rahul and the other yatris walked through Jammu and Kashmir to reach the iconic place where our leader unfurled the national flag. In comparison, BJP’s MM Joshi had to be flown in an IAF plane because of security concerns so that he could unfurl the national flag at Lal Chowk in 1992. So, there is a difference in the ground-level sentiment.
The yatra also showed that the ordinary people of Jammu and Kashmir had been feeling suffocated over the past years and wanted a sensitive leader to reach out to them. The locals indicated that they, too, want a normal life like the residents of other states in the country. The yatra showed the people of Jammu and Kashmir want restoration of the political process in the Union Territory. But, the challenge remains to win their hearts and minds before that can be done. Here, the need to win the trust of the locals would be paramount, the yatra has shown.
Q) What is the significance of the yatra for the Congress party?
Well, the yatra has shown that the party still holds ground in the Union Territory. The party suffered a setback last year when veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad left the party, taking away most of the party leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. But now, most of his supporters are back with Congress as they realised the importance of the grand old party. It is a positive signal for the party.
Q) How do you see the entire stretch of the nationwide yatra now that the foot march has come to an end?
When the yatra was launched from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, 2022, the critics had said it would not get a good response. When the yatra evoked a good response in the southern states, the critics said the yatra would face challenges in north India. But, we got very good support in the northern states also. The same was then said of Jammu and Kashmir. Once again, the people proved that all such analysis was wrong. In my view, the huge risk that Rahul Gandhi took in undertaking the yatra has paid off.
As far as Jammu and Kashmir are concerned, it seemed the people were just waiting for Rahul Gandhi to come, hold their hands and listen to their woes. Hence, they came out on the streets in large numbers to support the yatra. Frankly, we did not anticipate such a good response to the yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.
Regional leaders like Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party joining Rahul Gandhi in the yatra indicated that they supported the foot march. They may not become our allies in the future, but they rallied behind Rahul fully.
Q) What is the larger national message of the yatra?
The national message behind the yatra is that the people of the country do not want hatred and instead want unity in the country. Earlier, they had not been voicing their concerns due to some reason or the other. Maybe, they were, too, afraid to speak out, but they came out in large numbers and supported the foot march. The yatra became a social movement of sorts over the past five months.
Q) What do you think would be Rahul Gandhi’s message at the concluding event on Jan 30?
Rahul Gandhi has been saying all through the yatra that its purpose is to unite the country emotionally. He repeatedly said the yatra is not for any political gains for the Congress party. Hence, Rahul is unlikely to give any political message at the January 30 rally in Srinagar. He would rather focus on the social message behind the yatra, in my view. We have also invited several like-minded parties for the rally, but the political consultations for the 2024 national polls would begin later.
The public response to the yatra has shown that the Congress party now has a big responsibility on its shoulders to take the sentiment of the foot march forward and take the social movement to its logical conclusion. Whatever the party will do over the coming months will be crucial in the 2024 national elections. We have to keep that in mind.
