I joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra because I thought the simple act of bringing politics back to the people was sorely needed at a time when politics had become both virtual and weaponised. It was both literally and metaphorically a television screen that could be switched off but not replaced. By providing the physical act of walking and talking with political representatives face to face, the Bharat Jodo Yatra shattered that delusion. And for that alone, I was grateful.
I chose to join the Yatra in Srinagar because I was concerned about its impact in the Valley. As someone who had seen and shared the trough of despair that Jammu and Kashmir had plunged into after August 2019, when its special status was removed and the former state was divided and demoted to Union Territories, I feared that the Bharat Jodo Yatra would be greeted cynically.
The enthusiastic reception that the yatris received was, therefore, a surprise, though only partly so. I had called friends before going, and they told me there was excitement and anticipation for Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s arrival.
Since 2019, no national party leader has visited the former state except in bulletproof cars and tight security. The last time a national party leader walked through Srinagar was half a century ago. And the last time a national party leader led a public march through the city is lost in memory.
True, a large part of the enthusiasm was because Kashmiris had not been allowed to gather publicly for three and a half years. Just to be able to be out in large numbers was an enormous relief, as Mehbooba Mufti tweeted. But there was more to it than that.
For those like me, who have not been confined for long periods, it might be difficult to imagine the importance of even a day of freedom. It has taken me 24 hours to absorb its full import, which is not just those few moments of public space but what they imply for the immediate future. Having permitted the Yatra, will the Jammu and Kashmir administration return to its policy of confinement or will there be some gradual relaxation in it? Might other demonstrations of public aspiration or grievance follow? Better yet, might the people of the former state be allowed to express their opinions in the media as they did before 2019 —without fear of being arrested and charged with unlawful activity? Has the Bharat Jodo Yatra opened the door for the return of fundamental rights, even if only a crack?
For the Congress party, the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra comes with formidable challenges. Taking only the example of Jammu and Kashmir, having opened the door, a crack, the party now has a responsibility to work towards ensuring it does not close again, as the ruling administration is likely to prefer. That means that each time violations occur in Jammu, Kashmir or Ladakh, the party leadership and the Pradesh Committee need to protest, consistently and repeatedly.
For the party itself, the Bharat Jodo Yatra spells potential organisational rejuvenation. The media has routinely criticised the Yatra for distancing itself from electoral politics. Watching its impact in Srinagar, I am less than ever convinced of the separation. The Congress had faded to a pale shadow in Jammu, Kashmir and even Ladakh. Its prospects are now better in both Jammu and the Valley — the Yatra did not touch ice-bound Ladakh — though perhaps more so in Jammu. But it would be a mistake to underestimate the interest the Yatra has generated in the valley. The Congress has new space to build on if it chooses to.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra demonstrated to both the party leadership and the Pradesh Committee that base-level aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir can form the core of the party’s policy for the former state. Some of its elements were already touched upon in the Yatra’s press conferences restoration of statehood, elections, economic rights and bridge-building between communities. Others, such as freedom of expression, the rule of law, women’s rights and the civilianisation of public spaces, are further priorities. Ideally, a policy paper outlining key issues that the party will address in Jammu and Kashmir should be an outcome of the Yatra.
As I was writing this article, I received a string of messages about Rahul’s closing speech. His deeply moving account of his own personal trauma at the assassination of his grandmother and father and how it enabled him to share the anguish of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their desire to end the politics of hate, a young journalist said, would be remembered for years to come. The headline from Srinagar is that Rahul Gandhi brought a ray of hope to a beleaguered and distraught people.
Radha Kumar is a writer and policy analyst
