As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS-BJP) has successfully merged its divisive communal agenda with a narrow concept of Hindu nationalism, the Congress stuck to the idea of constitutional patriotism, stressing equality of all Indians irrespective of caste, religion, language or region. The Congress asserted that its nationalism rests on unity and justice while the BJP’s nationalism was just a divisive ploy to grab power, isolate minorities and perpetuate corporate loot.Though the theme fundamentally remains unaltered, the Congress leadership has sought to frame the discourse differently, emphasising its core concerns through constitutionalism instead of getting stuck in the traditional secular-communal trench. Even the symbols and metaphors haven’t changed; most speakers talked of protection of constitution and key institutions, liberty, justice and harmony, while wondering if discrimination and violence could ever become legitimate ingredients of any democratic political imagination. Rahul Gandhi took care to demolish the myths created by the RSS-BJP about the impossibility of a political document restricting the culture of thousands years old, arguing that the constitution contained the eternal value system of our saints like Kabir, Buddha, Guru Nanak, Basavanna, who shaped India’s philosophy of compassion and peaceful coexistence. He emphatically said the RSS worldview is not in tune with the constitutional principles and that’s why they opposed it during the initial decades. The grand old party that steered the nation through the turmoil of colonial oppressions and the bloody Partition, portrayed itself as the “protector of democracy and constitution” and resolved to defeat the divisive forces by what it described as the second freedom struggle. Also read: The Speech Rahul Gandhi Will Not MakeRepeatedly stressing the importance of Gujarat as the venue for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session, the Congress chose to break from the tradition to adopt one omnibus resolution in the honour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel instead of subject-wise categorisation – political, economic, foreign affairs and organisation. Another resolution, first of its kind in the history of Congress, was on Gujarat, explaining why a change was needed in the state. To offer a critique of BJP’s communalism with a resolution on Patel wasn’t devoid of symbolism either because Narendra Modi fancies himself as the true inheritor of Patel’s legacy. The Congress tried to strike sense into the BJP by arguing that self-proclamations and building tall statues cannot obliterate the fact that Patel was a Congress stalwart who had banned the RSS in the aftermath of Mahamta Gandhi’s assassination for creating a toxic and inflammable socio-political environment with its sectarian politics. The very decision to hold the convention in Ahmedabad was to challenge the BJP in its den by reinforcing the message that Mahatma Gandhi and Patel – two greatest Gujaratis – were stoutly opposed to communal ideology. Rahul Gandhi was indisputably trying to launch the battle for the reconstruction and revival of the Congress by striking at the root of Modi’s power on the banks of Sabarmati.The resolution – called Nyay Path: Sankalp, Samarpan, Sangharsh – said, “The BJP government has inflicted grave injustice upon the people via high inflation, unemployment, huge economic, disparity, hateful polarisation and state-sponsored cruelty. The very soul of our democracy – the constitution of India – is under direct assault by those in power, driven solely by their desire to retain power at any cost. The nation calls out for “NYAY” (Justice) in the face of the gross injustices effectuated by the ruling party.” Explaining nationalism, the resolution said, “Of course, territorial integrity of India depicts our nationhood, but nationalism, in its true sense, signifies the social, political and economic justice as also empowerment of India’s people. Nationalism denotes protection of rights and equity of progress for the marginalised, the oppressed, and the underprivileged. It ties the entire nation in the spirit of fraternity and brotherhood. Nationalism is rooted in India’s pluralistic and liberal ethos, in our conduct, our beliefs, and our way of life.”It added: “The idea of nationalism for Congress is one that binds people together. On the other hand, the pseudo-nationalism of the BJP-RSS seeks to divide the society and our people. The BJP-RSS model of nationalism aims to erase India’s diversity. The nationalism espoused by the Congress is deeply embedded in our shared heritage, while that of the BJP-RSS is marred by vitriol and prejudice. Ironically, the very organizations that stoutly opposed the freedom movement, especially the Quit India Movement now claim the contractual rights to issue fake certificates of nationalism. The pseudo-nationalism of the BJP- RSS is nothing but sheer opportunism for power. Their goal is not our unifying nationalism, but a Machiavellian quest for exploitative power. In order to grab and retain power by any means, they seek to divide the nation along the lines of religion, caste, region, language, attire, and food habits. Their hollow brand of nationalism is symbolized by – spread hatred, seize power and raid, invade and extort donations.”Rahul Gandhi structured his arguments on constitutionalism, saying that justice and equality were integral parts of Indian cultural ethos. He said, “Crony capitalism, schemes like Agniveer, Waqf Amendment Bill were attack on the constitution. Our leader in Rajasthan Tikaram Juli went to a temple. The BJP washed the temple because he was a Dalit and they call themselves Hindu. That’s not our Hinduism.” Party president Mallikarjun Kharge in his inaugural speech also recalled the rising atrocities on Dalits and wondered if Hindutva offered space to every section of society. Recalling how Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the nation, Kharge insisted that Prime Minister Modi had done no good to the country, always itching to maximise communal polarisation instead of solving the people’s problems and preparing the nation for future challenges.Also read: BJP Received 88% of Total Donations to Political Parties in FY 2023-24: ReportHe said democracy was being slowly murdered with weakening of institutions, sale of national assets to cronies and creation of monopolies in business. He forcefully spoke about electoral malpractices and demanded return to ballot papers, condemning the recent Maharashtra elections as a fraud on democracy. Questioning the BJP’s brand of nationalism, he said the prime minister incessantly speaks on all kinds of subjects but remains silent when the citizens of this country are in peril and pain. He also blasted the government for suppressing debate on critical concerns and whipping up passions by digging up history, 300 to 500 years old.Sachin Pilot who presented the resolution said there was no parallel in history to the sacrifice and service of Congress, wondering if that didn’t reflect nationalism of the Congress. He said the Congress nationalism drive it to unite the country while the BJP was out to divide and destroy diversity. “Every government nurtured democratic institutions over the last six decades but Modi hollowed them out in the last 10 years,” Pilot asserted, recalling how Rajiv Gandhi never talked of an India free of opposition despite having over 400 seats but Modi-Shah chanted Congress-mukt Bharat betraying an anti-democratic mindset. Shashi Tharoor, who seconded the resolution, also said Congress nationalism was anchored in the well-being of all Indians, cutting across barriers of caste, religion, language and region. Sanjay K. Jha is a political commentator.
