Former Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has announced another new yatra after Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. He chose National Sports Day for this announcement and shared a throwback video from his social media handle and announced – ‘Bharat DOJO Yatra’ is coming soon. No information has been revealed yet about the form of this yatra. The question is also whether this yatra of Rahul Gandhi is an effective extension of his T-shirt politics?
Rahul’s T-shirt politics
Before 7 September 2022, Rahul Gandhi was often seen in white pajamas and kurta. This is also the identity of being a leader in today’s politics. But Rahul’s dress changed in Bharat Jodo Yatra and this changed dress has become associated with his identity – T-shirt. Rahul was seen in a white T-shirt during this journey. Rahul and T-shirt remained together during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra as well. Be it election rallies or Parliament House, Rahul Gandhi is seen in white T-shirt only. Now that Rahul has announced this new journey, questions are being raised whether this is an extension of his T-shirt politics?
INDIA DOJO TRAVEL T-SHIRT WHY POLITICS EXPANDS
There is a narrative about the T-shirt that it is the dress of the youth, especially in rural areas. India is a country of villages and rural areas determine the path to power. Obviously, there must be a strategy to attract the youth behind Rahul Gandhi taking off his white pyjama kurta and coming to the field in a T-shirt. According to statistics, about 50 percent of the country’s total population is of youth between the ages of 18 and 35. Popularity among the youth has also been the USP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the India Today and C Voter Mood of the Nation Survey of February before the Lok Sabha elections, 54 percent people said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was their first choice.
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Rahul Gandhi was the choice of 14% people. In the recent Mood of the Nation survey, 49% people said that Narendra Modi was a better choice for the post of Prime Minister, while Rahul’s popularity graph has increased by 8%. 22% people believe that Rahul will prove to be a better PM. The rise in Rahul Gandhi’s popularity is being attributed to his t-shirt politics, travels and strategy of reaching out to different voter groups of the society by targeting them. The new travel that Rahul has announced also focuses on children and youth. Only youth and children take training in martial arts. In such a situation, this travel of his is an extension of t-shirt politics in an attempt to connect with the youth.
Narrative changed by travels
The narrative about Rahul Gandhi has changed due to his travels. The opposition parties used to try to set the narrative of Rahul Gandhi as a part-time politician, a leader born with a silver spoon. When the Congress could win only 44 and 52 seats in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, the reason for this was also attributed to Rahul’s leadership and AC room politics. But Rahul, who entered the field through Bharat Jodo Yatra, conducted Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Imphal in violence-hit Manipur to Mumbai in Maharashtra a year after this journey. Sometimes he went to a farm in Sonipat to know the problems of the farmers and sometimes went to a furniture shop to make stools. Through all this, Rahul Gandhi’s image changed, the narrative also changed and the Congress was successful in winning 99 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
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Former Union Minister Smriti Irani’s statement about Rahul also points towards the change in the narrative about him. Recently, former BJP MP Smriti Irani said in a podcast, “He is doing a different kind of politics. You can call his steps right, wrong or childish. But he is doing a different kind of politics. There has been a change in Rahul Gandhi’s politics. When he talks about caste, he speaks very carefully. He wears a white T-shirt in Parliament. He knows what kind of message he is giving to the youth. He takes steps after thinking carefully in many ways.”
Focus on youth-centric politics
Rahul Gandhi’s focus seems to be more on youth-centric politics. Be it T-shirt politics and now Dojo Yatra or Rahul Gandhi’s vocal attack on the issue of unemployment and the protest against Agniveer, all these are part of this strategy. In the Mood of the Nation survey, 28 percent people have said that unemployment is the biggest problem of the country. Unemployment is an issue directly related to the youth and its emergence as a big issue is also an opportunity for Rahul Gandhi.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)