Rahul Gandhi brandishes new image as Hindu saviour

What is the secret of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Kedaranth?

Political analysts see that Congress wants to project Rahul Gandhi as the new Hindutva’s poster boy and contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s growing image. Rahul Gandhi’s trek to Kedarnath is loaded with political symbolism, particularly in view of the Narendra Modi-led BJP having more or less established itself as the sole voice of the Hindu community. The Kedarnath walk is seen as an attempt to dispel the perception that the Congress is indifferent to Hindus.

So far the Gandhi scion has lacked consistency which has led to a trust deficit amongst the people and his own party workers in general. But insiders claim Rahul is unfazed and is going about his task in a meticulous manner as the new demi god of Hindu promotion if not revival.

To add a personal dimension to his political personality, the trek to Kedarnath was a key visit in his burgeoning itinerary for the next few months. Not many people can take the arduous climb to the holy shrine on foot, and being there when the doors (kapaat) to the temple open has its own significant meaning in Hinduism. When Rahul stood next to the priest with folded hands with snow covered mountains around, he had driven home the point. It was a personal visit loaded with symbolism, with a bonus of being able to taunt BJP while maintaining a straight face. Something that Congress has not been able to do for a long time now.

Rahul met and interacted with most leaders and realized that BJP had managed to project a pro Hindu image without actually doing anything for them. As a result, the Congress was at the receiving end. He chose to bust this myth and it will be a top priority in the days to come, said Congress Leaders in his clique.

With the BJP already on the back foot over the 2015 Land Acquisition Bill, the Congress president has managed to keep the Opposition united. Rahul plans to take the issue a level higher by planning to embark on a long “Padayatra” across the country in the next few weeks that will cover Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It will play an important part in not just re-shaping Rahul Gandhi’s pro-poor image, but also sending a subtle message of negating BJP’s propaganda of Congress being perceived as “anti-Hindu”.