Rahul Gandhi takes on BJP’s nationalism pitch with symbolism, imagery, and tales of yatra

Unlike in the past, Gandhi’s speech in the Lok Sabha during the no-confidence motion debate was largely focused, barring the initial meanderings and recollection of tales from the Bharat Jodo Yatra and an odd mention of businessman Gautam Adani — short-seller Hindeburg’s report on the group had derailed the Monsoon session — at the beginning and the end.

“When I last spoke, perhaps I troubled you a bit because I had focused on Adani so much,” he said, triggering protest from the Treasury Benches. He perhaps wanted to provoke or tease the Treasury Benches as he added he had only placed the truth before the House back then and they could relax this time around.

“My speech today is not going to be focused on Adani. My friends in the BJP, you don’t need to be scared today. You can relax. You can be quiet. My speech today is in a different direction. I will not attack you so much. But I will fire one or two shots … so you can relax,” he said, signalling that he had not forgotten the issue. There was no mention of the Adani saga in this session.

His recollection of the Bharat Jodo Yatra was more at projecting himself as a leader who tried to understand Bharat by traversing the length of the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and was a subtle criticism of the government. The idea was to convey a message that India is too vast for anyone to completely comprehend.

Rahul Gandhi likes to recall his meetings — like the famous Kalavati story he narrated in 2008. He spoke about how a farmer met him along with some cotton, saying that was only what he is left with and how he did not get crop insurance.

That aside, he moved from the real to imagery.

“People say it is a country … some say there are different languages, some say it is land, some say it is religion, it is gold (he has in the past said the BJP views India as ‘sone ki chidia’), silver. But the reality is this country is a voice, the voice of the country, the pain, the anguish and difficulties of people.”

He added, “If we have to listen to that voice, then we will have to set aside our arrogance, our desires, and our dreams … then we will be able to hear the voice of Hindustan. We will have to subsume our arrogance and hatred.”

Gandhi then moved to the imagery in the context of Manipur. The idea was to take on the BJP on its nationalism plank. “I went to Manipur some days ago … I used the word Manipur…but the reality is there is no Manipur left. Manipur you have divided, broken Manipur in two parts,” he said.

The recalling of his visit to relief camps and interaction with two women victims — one who Rahul said had witnessed the killing of her son and another who reportedly collapsed before him — were attempts at imagery. He used the image of Bharat Mata perhaps to counter the BJP’s “Bharat versus India” narrative. “Bharat is a voice. Bharat is the voice of our people … voice from the heart …”

Gandhi said the Indian Army can bring order to Manipur in a day. “But you are not using the Indian Army … If Narendra Modi does not listen to the voice of India then whose voice he is listening to … he listens to the voice of two people.”

Then there was more imagery targeting Modi. “Ravana used to listen to two people — Meghnad and Kumbhakarna. Like that, Narendra Modi listens to only two people, Amit Shah and Adani. Hanuman did not set Lanka on fire. It was Ravan’s arrogance which set Lanka on fire. Ram did not kill Ravan. Ravan’s arrogance killed him. You are setting the country on fire … Aapne Manipur main kerosene pheki aur phir chingari laga di. Ab aap Haryana main kar rahe ho (You poured kerosene in Manipur and then you lit it up … Now you are doing it in Haryana). You are burning the entire country,” he said.