Analysis: Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi Or Sitaram Yechury - Who Can Claim To Speak For The Poorest?

One was being launched, another was being re-launched and a third was simply re-calibrating.

One was being launched, another was being re-launched and a third was simply re-calibrating. A political Sunday saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and new Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury all take to the stage to insist that they represent the people – putting in very different performances.

Modi, speaking at a messaging workshop for the Bharatiya Janata Party, insisted that his party’s leaders were not reaching out enough to India’s poor and allowing the Opposition to mislead them. Rahul Gandhi, in his first public appearance after a two-month leave spent outside the country, gave a fiery speech insisting that the government was selling out the rights of India’s farmers – although the scion ended up being somewhat overshadowed by his mother, Congress President Sonia Gandhi. And Yechury, elected to the general secretary post after some intrigue within the CPM, tried to make the case that socialism was not just still relevant but essential for the people.

The timing is not coincidental. Monday sees members of Parliament return to Delhi for the second half of the Budget session, which will give each of the three leaders’ parties a chance to do some politicking. The speeches were also a long time coming, at least for the Congress and CPM, which have both been waiting for internal clarity on how to move forward.

Left Hand Drive: Yechury wants to bring socialism back
Only the communists can credibly claim that they have resolved that question. Yechury, a well-known face in Delhi circles, has been part of the CPM politburo since the 1980s and was the frontrunner for the post. His one competitor S Ramachandran Pillai, who is also 15 years older and less conversant in Hindi, pulled out at the last minute.

Yechury insisted that the Modi government was threatening the democratic fabric of India, and that socialism was the only way forward. He did this, however, at a time when the Left is struggling for relevance across the country, with its presence diminished primarily to Kerala and West Bengal and being threatened by new entrants in those areas as well. In many ways, the Left’s space has been grabbed by players like the Aam Aadmi Party, which have eclipsed the Communists by embracing a more aspirational, younger approach even while espousing similar values.

Talk to the Hand: Rahul is spirited, but is it enough?
Returning from a 56-day disappearance, officially labelled a “leave of absence”, Rahul Gandhi managed to give a passionate speech accusing the prime minister of taking loans from corporates and stealing farmers’ land to pay them back. The speech and the well-attended rally were supposed to be part of some sort of a re-launch for the Congress scion. However, in the end, he was overshadowed by an equally emotive speech by his mother, Sonia Gandhi.

As usual with Rahul, the question remains his commitment to the cause. He may have credibly taken on the government, but he didn’t make any mention of his 56-day leave, which had provoked lots of rumours and humour, while reinforcing the impression that his involvement in politics is half-hearted. The lack of any vision for the future of the Congress, aside from broad promises to always be the party of the farmers and the poor, meant that even a reasonably good speech comes with a big caveat.

Don't bite the hand: Modi tells his MPs how to talk to the poor
“It’s like showing why colour TVs are great,” the prime minister told BJP party workers and members of parliament. “You have to first show the black and white pictures, and then the colour ones, only then people will understand the difference.” Modi held a workshop with the party on how to improve their messaging, particularly in dealing with the poor, after the government spent the last month defending its decision to amend the land acquisition law to make life easier for businesses.

The prime minister ended up being more defensive than usual, however, claiming that “perverted minds” were spreading lies about what the BJP was doing and that the government was doing everything it could for the poor. He took credit for everything from civil nuclear arrangements to insisting that there hadn’t been any scams in his time. 

But the main reason the BJP even needs this intervention is because it has been on the backfoot regarding the land bill, and there is little indication that the prime minister’s workshop will help change the national consensus that the government’s moves have been anti-farmer.