Today in Politics: Can Congress go toe to toe with BJP on the nationalism narrative?

Since the rise of Modi’s BJP, the Opposition, especially the Congress, has struggled to articulate its vision of nationalism as opposed to the BJP’s nationalist Hindutva politics. This problem has only been exacerbated in moments of military conflict: for instance, Balakot, just before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and now Pahalgam. Its vision of a less muscular and more inclusive nationalism has been drowned out by the BJP’s sharp pitch, as exemplified by the PM, and that will likely remain a concern going forward.

Despite its historical role in the freedom movement, the Congress has failed to make use of this political plank now and again, as a result of which the BJP appears to have the monopoly over it. In its draft resolution at the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Ahmedabad last month, the party attempted to define its nationalism, saying that while it seeks to bind people together, the BJP and the RSS’s “pseudo nationalism” aimed at erasing India’s diversity.

While, in theory, that’s all well and good, the party’s muddled approach to the issue of multi-party delegations — Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh has dubbed these groups “weapons of mass distraction” — and the targeting of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over whether he had informed Pakistan before the military targeted the terrorist infrastructure on May 7 — the Ministry of External Affairs has clarified the comments have been misrepresented — run the risk of coming across as petty.

While it is incumbent upon any Opposition party to question the government and ask tough questions, the Congress’s approach has caused consternation in its ranks, as Manoj CG and Asad Rehman recently reported, with a senior leader admitting that the party could end up hurting itself and calling Jaishankar an “informant” was “stretching it a bit too far”.

As an Indian Express editorial after the Ahmedabad AICC session noted, the Congress “faces an uphill task of reclamation and resuscitation” on the issue of nationalism. The party needs to find a way to reach across the divide and start a dialogue with BJP voters, many of whom may have voted for it earlier but have moved away from it over the last decade. Nowhere will this be more important than Bihar, which goes to the polls later this year. And it cannot happen if its messaging, especially on a plank as crucial as nationalism, continues to remain muddled. While the PM talks about sindoor flowing through his veins and the BJP organises Tiranga yatras, the Congress has to find a way to talk about nationalism without coming across as small-minded and articulate its idea of nationalism that is more substantive compared to that of the BJP.

Happening today:

• The PM will inaugurate the two-day “Rising Northeast Investors Summit” around 10.30 am at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The summit will see the participation of CMs from the northeastern states, Union Ministers, top bureaucrats, foreign diplomats, and more than 2,000 delegates, policymakers, and investors.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will lay the foundation stone of an observatory tower on the new Zuari bridge in South Goa. The event is scheduled to be held at 6 pm in the village of Chicalim. According to CM Pramod Sawant, the tower, envisaged as part of the bridge across the Zuari River connecting North and South Goa, will give visitors a panoramic view.