'This is India. We have allowed ourselves to be dictated by the narrative that the BJP has set for itself.'
Yogendra Yadav, who has been on several padyatras in the past, has been walking with the Congress-led Bharat Jodo Yatra for the last 20 odd days.
Padyatras, he says, are part of the ethos of the country, and points out that Gandhian activist P V Rajagopal is the veteran of padyatras in modern times.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra has also brought him new discoveries about this vast and diverse country -- like Kerala known for its fine coffee beans also makes great tea decoctions and the spiritually uplifting feeling of standing at the point where three oceans meet in Kanyakumari.
"There is a depth of support for this kind of politics in the country. Anyone who believes that the BJP's dominance has not left any space for others, should just walk through the last 500 kilometres that we've done so far," he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in the concluding segment of a three-part interview.
- Part 1: 'The Yatra is a silver lining in the dark clouds that hover over our country today'
- Part 2: 'BJP is dismantling this Republic'
Can the yatra arrest the decline of the Congress? The party has faced defections and tumult in Goa, Rajasthan and tussles within for the election of party president even during the yatra?
I'm not the right person to answer this question; leaders within the Congress should answer it.
It is quite legitimate for Congress workers to expect the yatra to improve the fortunes of the party as well. But that is not my intent and that is not what motivates me.
Secondly, I think such questions should be looked at by detaching ourselves from the news cycle. Maybe after a couple of months, I'll probably speak about it.
Were you consulted on the areas the yatra will go through?
I was generally in the loop, but it is entirely the Congress party's decision as they are the organisers.
Frankly, I find the controversy very amusing [about the route bypassing states like Gujarat and almost all of UP].
Ever since I was a child, I have heard the phrase 'Kashmir se Kanyakumari'. This has always been the metaphor in this country.
If you try to draw a line from Kanyakumari to Srinagar on the map of India and chart a walking route as the crow flies, tell me how many days will you spend in UP? Looking at the route of the yatra, it is quite clear that the best walking route has been selected as was humanly possible in these many days.
People are reading too much into the politics of it, but this is the shortest way to walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
I don't understand the needless controversy?
What have been some learnings in the last 20 odd days? Ours is such a huge country, what are some the things that you have discovered that you did not know of?
I did not know that the people of Kerala make such lovely tea. They grow such good coffee beans, but I liked their tea better than their coffee. [Laughs]
I have travelled a lot in Kerala and I am reasonably well informed about this country, but for the first time I learnt that they actually make tea with a decoction. I hope we North Indians learnt a bit more about it.
I had never been to Kanyakumari. The idea of standing at the point where three oceans meet is spiritually uplifting. I have written that this is where India begins, not ends.
I did not know that the Kanyakumari stretch closely resembles Kerala more than Tamil Nadu.
In Kerala one can walk hundreds of kilometres without ever being outside a residential colony. I feel the whole of Kerala is one long residential colony.
Only 1when you walk that all these discoveries register fully in your consciousness.
Two things that struck me about the Congress and I say the Congress simply because it's a mainstream party:
1. There still remains a small streak within the Congress party who take Gandhi, his ideology and moral purpose very seriously.
I had not expected meeting people like Meenakshi Natarajan [former Congress MP from Mandsaur, MP], Sachin Rao [in-charge, training AICC], Lalji Desai of the Seva Dal. This was a pleasant experience because I had stopped expecting this from mainstream parties.
2. The Congress karyakarta is keen to connect to movements and political streams that people like me represent.
I went expecting that there will be some unease and hostility towards me because I have been criticising the party at the top of my voice. But actually, most of them said they were happy that I was supporting the yatra.
I also found that there is a depth of support for this kind of politics in the country. Anyone who believes that the BJP's dominance has not left any space for others, should just walk through the last 500 kilometres that we've done so far.
It is not that Mr Modi's presence is absent, but if you look into the eyes of the people and the way they have responded, there is a positivity and affirmation that the media in Delhi cannot imagine.
This is India. We have allowed ourselves to be dictated by the narrative that the BJP has set for itself. That there is an India outside the BJP's narrative was very much visible during the yatra.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
