‘BJP will be wiped out in Maharashtra’

Gandhi waves to the crowd as he leaves. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Always frenzied Dadar saw more crowds than usual on Friday evening, as the opposition INDIA bloc capped off a two-day meet with Congress felicitating Rahul Gandhi, for his reinstatement as Member of Parliament, standing up to big bully BJP. The evening function was held at the Congress headquarters, the Tilak Bhavan (Dadar) with the lane leading up to the venue packed with general public, curious shop owners taking a break from buzzing retail and a media pack.

House full

Inside the house full hall, posters like ‘Modiji ki batti gul, aise hai hamaare bhaiya Rahul' (Rahul's leadership means Modi's lights are out), set the tone for the evening. Several women held banners reading: ‘Mahilaao ki yehi pukaar; Congress sarkar ab ki baar' (the women have one demand: a Congress government at the helm).

A welcome organised for Rahul Gandhi outside Tilak Bhavan. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

As announcements were being made about Rahul Gandhi nearing the venue, rallying cries resounded, "jodo, jodo, Bharat jodo' and ‘judega Bharat; Jeetega I.N.D.I.A.'. As the leaders entered, a young man clambered onto a chair and let out a war cry: ‘Rahul Gandhi sangharsh karo, hum tumhaare saath hai' (strive Rahul Gandhi, we are with you).

Silence, please

Mallikarjun Kharge, president Indian National Congress (INC) took the mike first up and told the Congress workers and supporters, "please be silent now, keep that josh (energy) for the next elections, listen up now." Kharge welcomed Rahul Gandhi to the Tilak Bhavan, as it was his first-ever visit to the Mumbai space. He then said strongly, "I allude to how Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Parliament by Modi and his people. The way they have troubled him. They wanted to silence the voice that spoke for the poor and unemployed youth.

They tried to silence Rahul Gandhi but the junta did not sit quiet, each person realised and experienced that Modi sarkar was a dictatorship, and they thought we must teach them a lesson. That is what Rahul Gandhi did, taught them a lesson and re-entered Parliament." Shouts and applause drowned his voice for a second. He then peppered his speech going back to what he said was Rahul Gandhi's mantra: ‘Daro mat, darenge toh marenge'. Kharge called for unity within, stating when you fight as one, there can be nobody who can defeat you."

History lessons

Rahul Gandhi set a gaga for Raga tenor as he reminded people that when Modi came to power, "he claimed there will be Congress-mukt Bharat. Do you remember?" he asked as the crowd roared, "yes." Well, said Rahul, "even England which was then a superpower could not achieve Congress-mukt Bharat, so what will Modi do?" The leader then said, "It was in fact, the Congress which threw them out."

Gandhi then referred to the recent Adani controversy, which brought out how close Modi and Adani are. One discerned though that maybe even the workers seem weary of this subject. The speech sparked a reaction when he spoke about Adani and Dharavi, as Dharavi resonated with Mumbaikars. Raga then called the party one of ‘Babbar sher and sherniyaan too' (lions and lionesses). He then claimed that these fierce felines do not fear, but the PM, BJP and RSS "are scared of Congress." He told the people that the BJP will be wiped out in Maharashtra, and that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will win the next election.

There were claps on the back for the karyakartas, "who shed their blood and sweat for the party," said Gandhi adding that they were like "family". Gandhi said we do not, "work with violence and hate. In fact, we go into their houses, into their nafrat ki bazaar and open a mohabbat ki dukaan." Whistles rent the air as he mimicked a serious Modi face, saying the PM looked like this in Parliament, "he should not even smile by mistake" and "so do his followers try to look the same". There were howls of laughter at this. In the end, Gandhi stated, "I felt good to be in Mumbai. Amongst you all, I think I am talking to Priyanka and my mother," he said. He ended strongly with, "Maharashtra is the nucleus of the Congress. It begins with this."

Those who were awaiting some remarks on how so many parties will work together, what kind of person if not a name are they looking as the face for PM, or even some salient points about the just concluded meet, may have been disappointed. Even his disqualification and what he learnt from it, would have been a good subject, as some of all this has been an oft-repeated line: combating hate with love, unity and the Adani factor. The opening of a Congress social media war room at the Bhavan was also announced proving we inhabit a parallel universe and a digital world. Election battles are now fought on both platforms.