Ramlila Maidan Rally: What's Rahul Gandhi's Plan? Expect Fireworks After Diwali

There are two important aspects to the massive INDIA Bloc rally: spectcle and rhetoric.

(Rahul Gandhi said that that PM Modi, Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar will be put on trial)

(X/INCIndia)

There were two significant aspects to the INDIA Bloc's rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan: the spectacle and the rhetoric.

The rally was massive. According to some estimates, almost one lakh people were present, with the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Left and RJD cadres supplying the maximum numbers.

A group of volunteers marched with a long printout claiming to have the names of all the people whose names were wrongly removed in the Special Intensive Revision.

One volunteer played on the 'Angoolimal' metaphor, with cut-off fingers showing names of deleted voters.

Another important political 'spectacle' was the INDIA Bloc's mock impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on the eve of the 1 November rally. It was conducted at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, where Opposition leaders and electoral accountability activists read out the 'charges' against Gyanesh Kumar. The Congress, which was hosting the event, even took the trouble of getting makeshift furniture to resemble the Parliament.

Rahul's Real Target

The rhetoric marked a significant escalation on the Opposition's part. It wasn't just about Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. Rahul Gandhi went to the extent of saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will all be put on trial and sent to jail.

Rahul Gandhi's real target isn't Gyanesh Kumar, it is PM Modi's legitimacy. Broadly, PM Modi derives his legitimacy from two factors: his electoral invincibility and Hindutva. The Opposition is targeting the former. It is trying to push a narrative that Modi's electoral success isn't due to his popularity but because of fraudulent electoral methods.

Both the mock impeachment and Gandhi's "put on trial" comment is aimed at making Modi, Shah and Kumar appear like criminals. Hence the repeated use of the label 'vote chor'.

What's the Modi Government's Strategy?

Compared to its crackdown on the Cockroach Janta Party and Left student unions in October, the government has allowed the Opposition rallies against Gyanesh Kumar to happen without any significant hindrance.

This is the reverse of what it did during the protests demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation in June-July. Back then, it prevented the Opposition's protest but allowed student protesters after an initial crackdown.

There is a strategy behind this. The government didn't mind 'apolitical' youth protesters getting credit for the NEET protest or even Pradhan's removal. Its aim was to prevent the Opposition from gaining any mileage.

On the other hand, it wants to present the Gynanesh Kumar issue as one being between the Opposition and the government. It wanted to scare away the general public at any cost, hence police violence and mass detentions during the CJP protest. Having seen the anti-Emergency movement, PM Modi knows the dangers of the general public taking to the streets to 'save democracy'.

What Happens Next?

As of now, it seems that the government and Gyanesh Kumar plan to brazen it out. The ball is in the court of the Opposition and the CJP.

Congress insiders say the party will make a big expose later this month. The CJP is also planning to brainstorm on the way forward and take their next step after Diwali.

The real fireworks will begin after the festive season.