Gandhi’s two Bharat Jodo Yatras, according to Tharoor, the former Congress chief’s colleague in the party and Lok Sabha, were the “precursors” to this “change.”
Rahul Gandhi’s “body language” as leader of the Lok Sabha, according to Shashi Tharoor, indicates that he is “in charge” and “willing” to challenge the BJP-led NDA government at the Center.
“There’s no doubt that Gandhi has been busy since the outcome of the Lok Sabha election. He is more approachable by everybody. As the Leader of the Opposition, he is also quite involved and regularly participates in Parliament. He is actively participating in everything, demonstrating his confidence and sense of leadership. Tharoor told The Indian Express, “His body language and manner of operating are very strongly conveying within the party, to allies and the BJP, that he is in charge and willing to take them (BJP) on.”
In the most recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP emerged victorious with 240 seats in the 543-member House, handily defeating the Congress for the third time in a row with 99 seats. But the Congress more than doubled its total from the last general elections in 2019 (52 seats compared to 44 in 2014); thus, the Lower House of Parliament will have an official LoP for the first time in ten years. Gandhi, the MP from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, was the recipient of the job.
In the meanwhile, Tharoor saw the two Bharat Jodo Yatras as the “antecedents” of Gandhi’s “change.”
The two Bharat Jodo Yatras, in my opinion, were the forerunners of the transformation. At that point, he started going out into the streets. The Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, MP Tharoor stated, “I would say that the change was already underway for a year and a half before the elections.”
Furthermore, Tharoor said that it would be “difficult” for the government to pass measures without consulting the opposition since the BJP no longer has a single-party majority, unlike in its previous two administrations, and because the opposition is becoming more numerous.
“Now that we (the opposition) are twice as strong as we were previously, it matters. The BJP’s political approach and the damage they have been causing to people’s houses have always been symbolized by the bulldozer. The legislation were enacted by the administration despite the opposition’s previous protests. Now that will be challenging,” the senior congressman said.
