Sanjay K. Jha 
New Delhi: The message from Sonia Gandhi, the outgoing member of Parliament from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, to her son Rahul Gandhi who is the candidate from the constituency, the family pocket borough, symbolised the very purpose of politics: “Fight against injustice. Don’t be afraid.”
In her brief but emotional address to the people who trusted her to be their representative for 30 years without a break, Sonia told a massive crowd in Rae Bareli on Friday, May 17 afternoon:
“Maine Rahul aur Priyanka ko wahi shiksha dee jo Indira ji ne aur Rae Bareli ki Janata ne mujhe dee – sabka aadar karo, kamjor ki raksha karo, anyay ke khilaaf, Janata ke adhikar ke liye jisase bhi ladna pade, lad jao. Darna mat, kyonki sangharsh ki tumahari jaden aur paramparyen bahut mazboot hain (I gave the same lessons to Rahul and Priyanka that Indira Gandhi and the people of Rae Bareli have given me – respect everybody, protect the weak, fight against anybody against injustice, for the rights of the people. Don’t be afraid, because your roots and tradition of struggle are very strong).”
While dynasty has been portrayed as a dirty word in politics by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS-BJP), particularly after the advent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national arena, Sonia was reminding her son of the legacy he inherited in serving the people and fighting against injustice. Instead of getting worried about the “dynasty” propaganda, she made it a point to be present at the rally in Rae Bareli to remind the people that her son carried the responsibility of upholding the legacy of Indira Gandhi, apart from publicly telling Rahul what kind of value system he has to follow.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
There was no mention of power or success as Sonia drummed into Rahul that he was expected to protect the weak and the oppressed, never be scared of confronting anyone for justice and take inspiration from the rich legacy that he was expected to protect. “Darna mat (Don’t be scared)”, Sonia told her son, echoing the same sentiment that Rahul himself has been telling Congress workers – “Daro mat (Don’t be afraid)” – in the fight for what he has described as the “struggle to save democracy”.
Rahul later responded by posting this message on social media:
“This was an emotional moment for me. My mother has handed over the flag of a tradition of service for 100 years to me. I accept this responsibility with pride and take a pledge to honour every word spoken by my mother.”
Amidst loud cheering by the crowds, Sonia said:
“I bow to the people of Rae Bareli who gave me the opportunity to serve them for 30 years. This is the most precious capital of my life. Rae Bareli is my family, like Amethi is my home. My family has deep roots in this land for 100 years. This relationship, pious like the Ma Ganga, started with the farmers movement (against the British) and continuing even now. Brothers and sisters, I am handing over my son to you. Like you owned me up, consider Rahul as your own. Rahul will not let you down.”
Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi stood behind their mother as thousands of people roared in approval, oblivious of the stigma that dynasty politics has been attached with. Rahul, who was in Amethi before this event, said there:
“If I have shifted to Rae Bareli, that doesn’t mean I have left Amethi. I was of Amethi, I am of Amethi, I shall always be.”
He also took a vow to build the proposed food park in Amethi, an ambitious project that was shelved by the BJP government. While Priyanka has been recalling her family’s links with both the constituencies, people have also been attaching great significance to this relationship. Congress leaders campaigning in Rae Bareli and Amethi insist that people don’t raise questions about dynasty as they believe it is no crime to have great parents and forefathers who made unmatched contributions to the process of nation-building and even sacrificed their lives for the country.
Also read: A Dull Election in Rae Bareli and an Intense Fight in Amethi
Akhilesh Yadav, another dynast, who was present with Rahul in both Amethi and Rae Bareli meetings, confronted Prime Minister Modi for saying that the “two shahzade (princes) will go abroad after losing elections.” Akhilesh said people are mature and know who fled the country, referring to the likes of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi who had close links with Modi. Both Akhilesh and Rahul predicted defeat for the BJP and spoke about issues like unemployment, Agniveer, paper-leaks, prices, Covid mismanagement, farmers, workers and the welfare schemes proposed by the opposition parties.
Modi, who too was campaigning in Uttar Pradesh today, said:
“In every election, two boys get launched. Both Congress and SP have similar birth charts. All qualities are similar. Both are dedicated to dynastic politics. Both are in politics for corruption. Both can stoop to any low to please their vote-bank. Both encourage criminals and the mafia. Both Congress and SP are sympathisers of terrorists. Terrorists and mafia get free hand when they come to power.”
Modi addressed several rallies but did not speak on jobs, prices and policies and only said that he has to take big decisions in his third term. He even said that the Congress would run the bulldozer over the Ram temple and asked them to learn from Yogi Adityanath where to run the bulldozer and where not. He also said the Congress and SP boycotted the invite to the consecration ceremony of Ram temple to please their vote-bank, referring to Muslims as he calls them those “who do vote-jihad”.