Thursday, 09 November 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The three-day Kedarnath visit of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi which ended on Tuesday was dubbed as a strictly religious and personal tour of the Congress leader. Though some political observers expressed surprise at the visit of the Congress leader which was held amid the hectic election campaign going on in the five States it is believed that Rahul Gandhi has given a message to the Hindu voters of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana from his visit. The observers opine that by visiting the holy shrine of Kedarnath located in the lofty Himalayas and spending considerable time there on meditation and devotion to Lord Shiva, Rahul Gandhi has tried to give a subtle message of his idea of Hindutva to the electorate of the four States where the followers of the religion are in overwhelming majority.
In Chhattisgarh (90 Assembly seats), Hindus comprise 93.25 per cent of the population while there are 90.89 per cent Hindus in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh (234 Assembly seats). Similarly the percentage of Hindus in Rajasthan (200 Assembly seats) is 88.49 and in Telangana (119 Assembly seats) the Hindus constitute 85.1 per cent of the total population.
The ensuing assembly elections being dubbed as the semi-finals for the next year’s Lok Sabha polls are very important for the Congress party. Interestingly, the stakes of the Congress party are high in all these States. In Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and MP there is a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP while in Telangana the Congress is giving a stiff opposition to the ruling BRS. The Congress is hoping that the soft brand of Hindutva practiced by its leader would appeal to the voters in the election bound States where the BJP has unleashed its tried and test formula of aggressive Hindutva in order to polarise the elections, observers opine.
Senior journalist Jay Singh Rawat told The Pioneer that Rahul Gandhi’s visit held some days after the Adi Kailash visit by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an attempt by the Congress leader to portray himself as Shiva Bhakta in a subtle yet unique way. He said that Rahul Gandhi held elaborate discussions about Himalayas, its rivers, glaciers, environment and issues such as global warming with noted geologist SP Sati during his stay in Kedarnath which shows that he is trying to learn and not wishing to teach. Rawat said that the Congress party is trying to project Rahul Gandhi’s Kedarnath visit as a personal affair but the political message from the visit is clear.
The spokesperson of Uttarakhand Congress Garima Dasauni said that the Kedarnath visit of Rahul Gandhi was strictly his personal affair. She said that the Congress leader stayed away from propaganda during his visit and remained immersed in spirituality and devotion during the visit. She recalled that it was Rahul Gandhi who took a courageous decision to trek to Kedarnath after the disaster of 2013. In that Yatra he gave a message of safe Char Dham to the world and it is manifested in the record breaking visit of pilgrims to the Char Dhams, she said.
