The Congress’s ‘Azadi Gaurav Yatra’ in August in Chhattisgarh, which was primarily a counter-narrative to the BJP’s ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, stood out in terms of its scope as well as timing (the party is seeking a fresh mandate in the State next year).
The issue of aggressive nationalism has traditionally had limited appeal in State politics. However, the Congress believes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could assume a central role in the BJP’s 2023 election campaign, and will likely use national and emotive issues. There were reportedly discussions on the party’s need to be more aggressive on nationalism in the ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Udaipur too. This was followed by the Azadi Gaurav Yatra; the Bharat Jodo Yatra starts next month.
The party concedes that the BJP has an edge on the issue of nationalism, but it also feels that core BJP voters do not identify with anyone apart from Mr. Modi in the party. Such outreach programmes, a Congress worker said, will help dispel the many “myths created around historical figures such as V.D. Savarkar, K.B. Hedgewar and Deen Dayal Upadhyay and reclaim the freedom fighter legacy of the Congress.” Additionally, the party is also attempting to “wrest back the BJP’s claims on Congress icons such as Sardar Patel”.
