By Dr. Gyan Pathak
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has just emerged irresistible in Assam even when the BJP leader and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tried hard to resist him. BJP’s men breached his personal security, attacked his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, state government passed orders to stop the yatra at several places including entering Guwahati, and FIR has been registered against him to disrupt the Yatra’s progress, but all simply failed. People in crowds surging behind him wherever he goes.
Today is the 11th day of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra launched from Manipur on January 14, and it has just re-entered Assam. After travelling through Assam and successfully facing the hurdles created by the BJP men and the BJP government, the Yatra proceeded towards Meghalaya, and then again re-entered Assam to complete its planned campaign in the state though a stretch of 833 km and 17 districts. It has already travelled also through Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. In the entire stretch of the Nyay Yatra, large enthusiastic crowd welcomed Rahul and his team and remained companion to them in their respective areas in the yatra route. Participating people interacted freely, shared their miseries under the BJP and NDA’s dominance, and expressed their hope to overcome it, promising support to the Congress leader’s yatra and his promise to work for the people’s struggle for justice until they get it (Nyay ka haq milne tak). The yatra is intended to spend three more days in Assam.
When Rahul Gandhi re-entered Assam on January 24, 2024, just two days after the Ram Temple inauguration in Ayodhya,, he said that there was no Ram Lehar. The absence of any Ram Lehar in both in Meghalaya and Assam has rightly been observed by him, that must have emboldened him to launch a fresh salvo on CM Himanta Sharma of Assam, alleging him the most corrupt Chief Minister in the country. Rahul has just ignored CM Himanta’s threat to sue him. He also ignored the FIR registered against him and others participating in the Nyay Yatra, and dared the government to ‘file 25 more cases’ against him.
Union Minister of Rural Development of India and a BJP leader Giriraj Singh took dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma amid ruckus during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and said that Rahul Gandhi has “lost his calm” because of the “popularity of Assam CM”. He has threatened that Rahul Gandhi will have to end up apologizing in the courts for the remarks against the Assam CM.
Rahul Gandhi has just resumed Nyay Yatra further into Assam, on January 24, undaunted even after he had to face a roadblock on January 23, when he tried to take his scheduled entry into Guwahati, after his yatra in Meghalaya on January 22. Assam police stopped his yatra which led to clashes between the participants in the Nyay Yatra and the police and administration under CM Himanta. An FIR was registered against Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, including KC Venugopal and Kanhaiya Kumar, on the orders of Chief Minister of Assam, which makes it clear that the FIR was more political and less administrative, or else local administration would have done it by applying their own mind.
While restarting Nyay Yatra in Assam on January 24, Rahul Gandhi, alleged again that Himanta was the “most corrupt CM” and dared his government to file “as many cases as they can” and said he would not be intimidated.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has said, “The Assam Police has systematically stood by and / or allowed BJP workers to come closer and closer to the convoy of Shri Rahul Gandhi, breaching his security cordon, and endangering his physical security and that of his team.” He has raised a complaint regarding this sending a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sharma’s extreme measures to halt Shri Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra reveals his fear. Attack of Yatris, threats, an FIR, and blocking temple visits show his desperation,” says Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah.
The question is why Assam CM Himanta is taking such steps as if in panic? One of the answers is given by Rahul Gandhi himself who said there was no ‘Leher’ a day after Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya. It just reveals the fact that Ram temple inauguration has only limited political impact in certain regions, such as Hindi Heartland. Ram is not the most popular deity everywhere and it will have no pan-India political impact. Assam is a land of the goddess ‘Shakti’ on whom, as people believe there, depends every god and goddess in the Hindu pantheon. Ram temple inauguration failed to boost BJP in Assam.
Another reason of Himanta’s panic is the very thin margin by which BJP had won 9 seats in Assam out of 14in 2019 Lok Sabha election. BJP had bagged only 36.05 per cent of votes while the Congress’ vote share was 35.44 per cent. BJP had suffered a negative swing of minus 0.45 per cent while Congress had positive swing of 5.84 per cent. The BJP’s vote share was just 0.61 per cent more than the Congress. PM Modi will be seeking for his third term in the Lok Sabah election 2024, and hence Himanta cannot afford any loss of seat from his state.
Himanta’s personal political career is at stake also for another reason. The Vidhan Sabha Election 2021 in Assam was contested under the leadership of Sarbananda Sonowal, but after winning the election BJP made Himanta the chief minister of the state. Out of 126, BJP could win only 60 seats, bagging only 33.21 per cent of votes. Though, Congress had won 29 seats it was able to get 29.67 per cent of votes, only 3.54 per cent less than the BJP.
Third reason is the emerging stronger unity among the INDIA alliance partners. In the 2021 Vidhan Sabha election NDA had bagged 44.51 per cent of votes as against Congress led Mahajot’s 43.68 per cent. Thus, NDA had bagged only 0.83 per cent votes more than the Mahajot.
It goes without saying that only one percent swing in favour of INDIA alliance, that seems to be within reach given the positive response Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Yatra is getting as of now, could upset the political prospect of the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, hazarding the very political career of Himanta within the BJP. It could also impact the entire North East that sends 25 MPs in the Lok Sabha, out of which NDA has 20 and BJP 15. No wonder Himanta is dead against Rahul Gandhi and his Nyay Yatra. (IPA Service)
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