One hundred days is an acceptable period to assess an endeavour. The Bharat Jodo Yatra being led by the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, will set foot on 100 days tomorrow. This long march, which aims to spread the message of unity across 12 states, has been met with an unexpected public response. The exuberance of the people has been remarkable even in states where the Congress is not in power. The intelligentsia, a far diminished force, is of the opinion that the yatra offers a ray of hope to a land that has witnessed an unprecedented assault on its democratic and pluralist traditions by an elected government. There is also a view that the march can varnish Mr Gandhi’s public image that has been at the receiving end of much criticism — manufactured or bona fide. Mr Gandhi’s involvement in the march and his commitment to its cause, combined with his ability to lend an ear to the ground, could, the argument goes, facilitate a transition of his credentials as a leader in the public eye.

Of course, India has been a land of long marches with different goals. M.K. Gandhi had energised a subjugated nation with his march to Dandi. Decades later, L.K. Advani’s motorised yatra was instrumental in the resurgence of Hindutva as well as the concomitant stress on India’s inclusive framework. More recently, aggrieved farmers marched against an indifferent Central government, forcing it to retreat on contentious agricultural legislations. But these initiatives and many others had one common characteristic: they were social as well as political exercises. Surprisingly, Mr Gandhi and his party have taken pains to ensure that the Bharat Jodo Yatra remains apolitical at its core. Consequently, in terms of strategy and rhetoric, it has remained conservative instead of being radical. There is no doubting that some of India’s most cherished traditions and, cynics would add, institutions are under duress. Protecting and replenishing these cannot be an apolitical exercise. The same goes for the woes of the common people, many of which have been highlighted in the course of the march. It is the political responsibility of the Congress to mobilise electoral opinion on matters such as the unprecedented rise in prices or unemployment. The Congress’s repeated electoral debacles may have forced Mr Gandhi to paint the Bharat Jodo Yatra in a decidedly idealistic shade. But meaningful transformation, the kind that the yatra is hoping to achieve, cannot be attained without a political agenda.