Rahul Gandhi repeated his demand for a caste census at a Nagpur rally on Thursday, signalling he hadn’t abandoned his social justice plank, but many in the Congress nurture misgivings about the issue after the shock defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

Party insiders said Rahul would intensify his campaign for social justice during the Bharat Nyay Yatra, stressing how important an adequate caste representation in the system was for the creation of an unbiased and ethical social order.

The quest for justice, which draws its legitimacy from the Preamble to the Constitution, could also act as a political bulwark against the religious frenzy about to be whipped up over the upcoming inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The title — Nyay Yatra — given to the Manipur-to-Mumbai expedition has already generated excitement among some INDIA partners and political observers.

Some in the Congress argue that it would be unwise to judge the possible dividends from the social justice plank by the poll results in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh since the electoral discourse in these states had not been built around this cause. Rahul alone had referred to the plank during the campaign.

Yet, the BJP central leadership grasped the message and responded quickly by making caste equations a key factor in the choice of its new chief ministers.

The BJP has started building political pressure around the participation of political leaders in the “Pran Pratistha” event at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

While the religious ritual has been lent a strong political colour, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to preside over the event, the BJP has used the mainstream media to turn the political parties’ responses to the invitations to them as a test of their “loyalty” to Lord Ram.

The television frenzy over the temple inauguration has already made many parties uncomfortable and pushed the political discourse away from what the Opposition considers the real issues.

While CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury has already shown the way by asserting that faith is a personal rather than political matter, parties like the Congress fear that staying away from the event would allow the BJP to project their absence as an “anti-Hindu” gesture.

The contrary view is that the BJP is certain to project anyone who opposes Modi as anti-Hindu and anti-Ram and, therefore, any attempt to placate the party is futile.

While Rahul will anyway be involved in the Yatra from January 14, the Congress has to decide whether Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, both invited to the ceremony, should go.

Sonia and Kharge too have to decide whether they want to reduce themselves to mute spectators as the Prime Minister merges the political with the religious to try and project himself as the sole protector of Hindus.

Under these difficult circumstances, a campaign for justice — social, political and economic — can allow the Opposition to weave a counter-narrative.

While the Bharat Jodo Yatra has already proved that having Rahul on the streets can be a powerful proposition for the Congress, a political narrative around the theme of justice can encapsulate various aspects of Modi’s failure over the past decade.

Manipur, the starting point of the Yatra, symbolises injustice amid the utter failure of the Centre and the BJP-led state government to resolve the strife between the mostly Hindu Meiteis and the mostly Christian Kukis. The state government has been widely accused of siding with the majority Meitei community.

Rahul, after meeting the protesting wrestlers in a Haryana village, tweeted: “Ab hoga Nyay ka dangal (Now there will be a bout for justice)! What kind of legacy is the BJP creating by supporting misconduct with India’s talented daughters and by betraying the athletes who won laurels for India.”

The crying wrestlers – that’s a powerful symbol of injustice. Distressed farmers, unemployed youths, crony capitalism – all these fit into the frame of injustice. And justice against caste discrimination has almost been an eternal quest.

The Congress expressed outrage on Thursday over a statement by Assam’s BJP chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who said it was the duty of Dalits to serve Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas.

“The BJP doesn’t want the empowerment of Dalits and backwards. They don’t want their adequate representation in the system. That’s the BJP’s real character,” a Congress leader said.