Just to refresh our memory, this is what Yadav had pronounced in a messianic tone just over three years back: <<The Congress must die. If it could not stop the BJP in this [2019] election to save the idea of India, this party has no positive role in Indian history. Today it represents the single biggest obstacle to creation of an alternative.>> (Ref.: <https://mobile.twitter.com/_YogendraYadav/status/1130159481084506112 >.) Over the last three years, he has walked quite a distance, as it looks.
Better late than never. Indian democracy and "India" itself is today faced with a grave and fast deepening existential threat. All those keenly wanting to avert that looming disaster must, first of all, clearly acknowledge the magnitude of that threat and, also, try to coordinate and mutually reinforce their resistances on diverse planes and in spaces. We had a sort of (fairly successful) pilot run in case of the recent farmers' protests. <<Recently, some of the leading grassroots movement groups, which have had a history of keeping away from political parties, decided to engage with one major political campaign – the Bharat Jodo Yatra initiated by the Congress party. The challenge to the very existence of our country has forced these groups to connect with mainstream opposition parties and make a political intervention. At the same time, this intervention is non-partisan in that it is not tied to promoting any one political party and refuses to participate in the competition amongst and within opposition parties. We could call it non-partisan politics of resistance. Unsurprisingly, the novelty of the form did not grab headlines. Media reports were all about Rahul Gandhi interacting with ‘civil society’. Fake news about him having conceded defeat in the 2024 elections made some rounds, till the TV channel withdrew this baseless insinuation. There were some speculations about some “andolanjivis” joining the Congress. No one had the patience to find out who these organisations were and the nature of support they had offered to this yatra. ... The interaction between people’s movements and Congress leadership held at Delhi’s Constitution Club on 22 August must be seen in this context. About 150 well-known representatives of people’s movements (from 20 states, cutting across ideological and sectoral divide) gathered in a conclave on invitation by a group comprising Aruna Roy, Bezwada Wilson, Devanoora Mahadeva, Ganesh Devy, P.V. Rajgopal, Sharad Behar and myself. The main agenda was whether and how peoples’ movements could associate with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. After extended discussion, a presentation by Digvijaya Singh and frank interaction with Rahul Gandhi, the group unanimously decided to welcome and “expressed their willingness to engage” with this yatra. This represents a significant moment in the history of party-movement relationships in India. To be sure, all the participants have not signed on to joining the yatra; each movement and group will explore its own ways of engaging with this initiative. The participants freely aired their apprehensions and reservations about the readiness of political parties to take up principled resistance to the politics of hate. And these grassroots movements have by no means tied themselves to the Congress party. They might be open to extending support to similar initiatives by any other opposition party, provided it promises an effective democratic resistance to the assault on democratic institutions and constitutional values. ... That is why we need a special purpose vehicle that is neither a political party nor a movement organisation. It must involve shaping policies and perspectives, but not as a think tank. It must launch campaigns, but must not remain merely a campaign organisation. It must intervene in politics, including the big Lok Sabha election of 2024, but not become a political party. An extraordinary challenge that we face today requires an extraordinary instrument. We need not just a new vehicle, but a new kind of vehicle, a special purpose vehicle as it were, curated for public action at a very special moment in history. Such a bridge could shape our future.>> (Excerpted from: < https://theprint.in/opinion/sansad-to-sadak-why-grassroots-movements-are-joining-congress-bharat-jodo-yatra/1097427/ >.) Also: <<Last week, [Jairam] Ramesh told reporters the "padayatra" (foot march) will cover 12 states and two Union territories. It will be about 3,500-km long and will be completed in about 150 days. Later [Yogendra] Yadav said there's a consensus on welcoming this ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. "This is the need of the hour that we've agreed to engage with. Engagement can take many forms... Forms will vary but we've agreed to engage with this yatra..," Yadav was quoted as sayin[g] by news agency ANI.>> (Excerpted from: < https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/congress-invites-civil-society-members-join-bharat-jodo-yatra-rahul-holds-talks-101661161149917.html >.) Also look up: I. <https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1561967014473650176>. II. <https://twitter.com/Quality_Polity/status/1561980721623093250>. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/greenyouth/CACEsOZhQyvvdzs4Xg%2BXeBPRGTWJDKvB2KV23OL8WaJ%2B_PS-Q6Q%40mail.gmail.com.
