And, Rahul Gandhi. I really don’t know if his Bharat Jodo Yatra is going to work. The big idea behind this 3,500-km foot march across the country over 150 days is to unite India by promoting love and friendship among the people enough to bring the BJP down. Or, as Rahul himself fondly says, to reclaim the soul of the country. Something like Nehru’s Tryst with Destiny. The moment of truth will be the next Lok Sabha elections. Which are in May 2024. But his Bharat Jodo Yatra will end long before that. Sometime in 2023. The BJP is waiting for this to happen. I think Rahul timed it too early. His Bharat Jodo Yatra should have concluded on the eve of the elections. By which time, the BJP’s poll machine will be in overdrive. And Messrs. Modi, Shah & Yogi in top gear. The people would have forgotten what a driving force Rahul had been by then. Fascist forces would have undone any good work brought about by the Bharat Jodo Yatra and spread disunity, hate, intolerance, and their own brand of religious fundamentalism at that time. And India would be a tinderbox waiting to be ignited by the elections.
But Rahul Gandhi is a surprise.
He’s like a Jack in The Box. I must say this is a jovial, almost rollicking avatar of the Congress leader that the Bharat Jodo Yatra has produced. Defeat, within and outside the party, though abject and painful, has done him a world of good. The smug look disappears. The brashness wiped away. No sign of arrogance, too. That air of entitlement because he was a Gandhi. This is not the same man who wanted to be Prime Minister in 2014. Now there’s humility and acceptance of the people’s mandate. A belief that, perhaps, Congress is not going to be the next big thing in the 2024 elections. Unless, unless the weary miles he treads on his Bharat Jodo Yatra with his beard growing greyer and longer each day endears Rahul to the people. I am not sure what participation is made up of. Whether the Bharat Jodo Yatra is attracting political leaders, intellectuals, social activists, writers, artists, sportspersons, as well as other eminent personalities of a similar mind. Or are Indians, as is our wont, coming out in huge numbers just because Rahul Gandhi is in their area and they want a closer look at him?
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, as well as Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have been featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. He has interviewed almost every famous person in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police as well as its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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