The Congress plenary ended on Sunday with the resolve to maximise the goodwill created by the Bharat Jodo Yatra with continued mass contact programmes to expose the “crude crony capitalism,” “authoritarianism” and “communal politics” of the Narendra Modi government.
The plenary also demolished any misgivings about Rahul Gandhi’s leadership despite Mallikarjun Kharge’s presence at the helm, besides showcasing perfect harmony between the new arrangement and the Nehru-Gandhi family. While on the economic front, the plenary deepened the Congress commitment to the welfare state, there was a dramatic shift towards social justice on the organisational front.
With the completion of the three-day plenary with a public rally, the leadership heaved a sigh of relief because raids by the Enforcement Directorate on key individuals involved in the preparations had triggered apprehensions about an unforeseen development disturbing the mega event. The raids, on the contrary, strengthened the party’s resolve to keep up the fight against the politics of coercion.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge referred to the disruptive tactics using central agencies at the public rally, saying: “Modi and Amit Shah want to terrorise everybody to run a dictatorship. Unke paas note ki aur lathi ki taqat hai. Par janata ke paas vote ki taqat hai. Many such people have come and gone. We are not going to be scared. But people must think about what kind of leaders they support.”
Kharge told the public rally: “Ek vyakti ke liye pure rashtra ko tabah kiya (He destroyed the entire country for one person. Adani is buying all the public sector units with our money, thanks to facilitation by Modi. He built nothing and is selling everything. Modi is the only Prime Minister who built not one labour-intensive public sector unit. Ye barbad karne waale log nain, banane wale nahin (These people can destruct, not build).”
In the concluding remarks at the plenary, Kharge said: “Rahul Gandhi has explained how a few persons are looting this country. Modi is helping only Adani. The entire Congress party, all leaders, will venture out to fight against crony capitalism. We will take this message to the people, how he made money, which tricks he adopted.”
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also explained the Adani episode to the people at the public rally.
The Raipur “call to action’ document said: “Lakhs of citizens, including workers of Congress, walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir with Rahul Gandhi. The Yatra took forward an inclusive and progressive vision of India where Constitutional values reign supreme. In celebrating diversity, equality and fraternity, it presented a clear alternative to the BJP’s vision of India. In a few months, we will be celebrating the centenary of the Seva Dal, a crucial grassroots organisation of Congress workers. This will be an occasion to impart fresh energy into our mass contact programmes.”
The party’s communications chief, Jairam Ramesh, confirmed that another yatra, whose form and contours are under discussion, from East to West, was on the cards. This yatra will be different from the Bharat Jodo Yatra in format and size as critical elections are coming up in Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. Even the territorial complications may force the party to creatively plan something different.
The “call to action” also said: “The Congress is the only party that has never compromised with the BJP/RSS and its despicable politics. We will always fight to protect our political values against the BJP’s authoritarian, communal and crony capitalist onslaught. We are prepared to work with like-minded political parties on the basis of a common, constructive programme to preserve and protect the Constitution in letter and spirit and to address the three main challenges facing the country: growing economic inequality, intensifying social polarisation and deepening political dictatorship.”
Promising a new vision to empower the poor and reboot the economy, the party said: “In the decade from 2004-2014, the Congress delivered the highest ever GDP growth, pulled crores of Indians out of poverty, and introduced many transformational rights-based legislations, such as MGNREGA, Forest Rights Act and National Food Security Act.
“ MSMEs that have been destroyed in the last eight and a half years must be revived and made the engine of rapid growth and employment, through cluster-based skill development programmes for the youth, and dedicated funding and technological support for labour-intensive manufacturing.”
It added: “GST must be drastically simplified and significantly improved for the benefit of small businesses and traders, and GST compensation for states must be extended for another five years. Agricultural policies and reforms must be reoriented to place farmers and farm workers at the centre, and not only production goals. Farmers must be safeguarded through measures such as debt relief and legally guaranteed MSP. To ensure the fruits of rapid growth benefit all sections of the society, Sampoorna Samajik Suraksha must be introduced, especially a women-centric NYAY programme and a Universal Right to Health Act. To cement the foundations of social justice an immediate Caste Census is critical.”