Anil Anand
a.anil.anand@gmail.com
Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan! It might not be the biggest of the grounds in India presently, but it is the beacon of historicity. It has been the venue of many historic political/social rallies during the last seven decades which from time to time set the tone and tenor for future politics, at times leading to change in dispensations.
Should the Rahul Gandhi spearheaded Congress’s ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod Rally’ held on December 14, 2025, in the heart of Delhi and in the vicinity of historic Lal Qila the symbol of power, be viewed in this backdrop? Did it have the trappings of taking the political discourse in the country-currently dominated by Narendra Modi-centric strategy focused on ideological decimation of Congress and galaxy of its leaders- to a different direction?
Can this tumultuous event prove to be a turning point in shifting the nation’s focus to vote-theft being the sole cause for Congress-led Opposition camp’s successive electoral defeats? Where does the Congress go from here and after this?
No doubt, the rally, to the surprise of both Congress supporters and rivals, was a super success. It was well organized with the venue brimming to the capacity, the responsive crowd connected well and gave strong signals of emotive participation. And above all the strong chord was visibly established between the leaders on the dais and the participants which has become a rarity in Congress. It was reflected in the fact that despite jostling and overcrowding, hardly anyone was seen leaving the venue.
Why was there a surge in Congress-persons from all corners of the country packing the Ram Lila Maidan as has not been seen in the recent past? And that too after a crushing defeat in Bihar assembly elections.
There is no doubt that the Congress leaders sitting in the AICC had strategized in a better manner and mobilizing leaders and cadres from faction-ridden states and Union Territories was done in a matter-of-fact-manner rather being casual and ritualistic as has been the case for quite some time now. One strong factor behind this could be Mr Gandhi being the prime mover of the ‘Vote Chor Gadi Chhod’ movement both inside and outside the Parliament. Nonetheless, doubts continue to linger on the electoral efficacy of this drive but it can certainly act as a revival device for the Congress in preparing its dormant and demoralized cadres for the fight ahead.
Definitely, the atmosphere was electrifying despite dejection on the faces of participants owing to delayed arrival of Mr Gandhi. One reason why they had come was to establish, though from a distance, a direct rapport with him and go home energized despite most of the state and UT units of the party being faction ridden with handpicked whimsical PCC chiefs’ arbitrariness, egged on by the AICC lobbies, hitting the organization hard.
The fact that Mr Gandhi spent more time with Argentinian soccer icon Mr Lionel Messi while travelling all the way to Hyderabad, and that he hurriedly wound up his presence in Ram Lila Maidan to catch a flight to Germany, did rankle the participants. It is not understandable what prevented him and his strategists to plan his schedule in a better manner. Had he desired so, or was he ill advised, nothing would have prevented Mr Gandhi from spending an hour or two with the capacity crowd at the rally. This would have doubled their joy and enthused them to no end.
All said and done, the rally-predominantly attended by the party leaders and rank and file with hardly any public presence- did make an impact. It really paved the way, through energizing them, to go back to their respective states/UTs and establish the long-lost rapport with the public. It could act as a much-needed catalyst provided there is a proper follow up. Whether there really is a follow up plan in place, it is still not known.
The way forward from here onwards is still very difficult. It is more so on two counts-1. A weakened organizational set-up from AICC to the PCCs with no attempt at galvanizing. 2. A formidable opponent in BJP, which is electoral-war ready all the time and unrelentless in its endeavour to rediscover itself. There is a total mismatch between these two situations that has led to continuous rise of the BJP and corresponding decline of Congress.
How to carry forward the message of unity from Ram Lila Maidan to states and UTs? Will merely holding protests at PCC headquarters and holding customary press conferences help achieve this goal?
Under the prevailing circumstances and possibility of a bleak future that it is confronted with, Congress has no option but to accept the challenge without any further delay and prepare to encash people’s growing enchantment with Narendra Modi government. The top leadership must shed lethargy, as was evident in organizing the Delhi rally, set its priority list in order and act fast.
This is not to suggest that no party programmes and protests/demonstrations be held, but the party managers should not lose sight of the need to overhaul the organizational network. The goodwill generated by the ‘Ram Lila Maidan’ show can only accrue benefits if a cohesive organization is in place to carry forward the message to the ground levels. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in many of the states. And what is even more unfortunate is the fact that the AICC leadership has mindfully allowed this situation to fester simply because of the fact that there is no accountability at any level.
A striking feature that came to light in organizing the December 14 rally, was the clear channel of communication from top to the bottom. The PCC chiefs were asked to close ranks and ensure presence of everyone in the rally which had a salutary effect.
Most of the times, as seen in the past, the AICC in-charges of States and UTs either show no interest or are casual or act under the total influence of the PCC presidents and their cronies, ignoring wider sections of the rank and file. This further inflames factionalism with no attempts to douse the flame. And most of the times, as Mr Gandhi had himself stated during one of his recent tours to Gujarat, it leads to the allegation of BJP’s sleeper cells being active in the PCCs.
The action must start from the top and none other than Mr Gandhi not only should be seen as acting decisively, buy hitting hard wherever is needed. Despite his public pronouncement to this effect made in Gujarat six months back about the BJP sleeper cells, this malady afflicts many of the States/UTs, and that some people have to be shown the door, no action has so far been taken.
Border line is the words must follow strict and matching action. Bane of Congress’s problem is failure to do so and thereby emboldening the vested interests. Or else even the successful ‘Vote Chor Gadi Chhod” rally will end up becoming one-stop event. This danger is very much looming large.
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