When it comes to public figures, especially politicians, there is the reality and the image. A politician will come to a place, meet people, address meetings and rallies and move on. In the emptiness of their departure, the image — their representation and memory — remains. These images evolve and reshape themselves, and may well become detached from the actual person — their views, values and competence. This happens through oral traditions, conversation and representations in print and electronic media. Through a combination of imagination, memory and what it sees, the public forms its version of the politicians.
In the digital age, particularly, the image and narratives around a politician have become essential to their appeal. That is why, perhaps, most leaders are either trying to build a hegemonic image or to undermine their opponents.
It is now clear that, despite some hiccups, it is the image of Rahul Gandhi that is coming to be primarily associated with the INDIA grouping. However, given the Opposition and Rahul Gandhi’s recent record, there has been a concerted attempt to enhance and reshape his image ahead of the 2024 general elections.
One strategy in this regard seems to be the use of “pad yatras” to engage with the public and build a political image of trustworthiness. Rahul Gandhi is currently engaged in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai, which started on January 24 and will end in March. This is the second such endeavour by Rahul Gandhi — the first Bharat Jodo Yatra took place between September 2022 and January 2023. The team surrounding Rahul Gandhi as well as Congress leaders have tried to portray the Yatras as breakthrough moments, a mechanism through which his image — long static — has been rejuvenated.
The pad yatras certainly offer many opportunities for videos, photos and slogans to be recorded and even go “viral” on social media. There is also the fact that constant coverage on TV news channels and reports and debates in print media can affect the public imagination.
It is no one’s case that the Bharat Jodo Yatras do not serve other functions, such as creating pressure on the government on various public grievances or framing the Opposition’s politics. The focus of this article, however, is on Rahul Gandhi’s politics of image creation. In this regard, Team Rahul’s aim seems to be to project him as a pro-people, sensitive politician who is raising issues of Dalits, OBCs, the poor and other marginalised sections. But no public image is created in a vacuum. Rahul Gandhi’s image-making exercise has to contend with the larger-than-life figure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has successfully captured the hearts and minds of a large portion of the public. Over the last decade, PM Modi has constantly been at and inaugurated various sites of political importance and tried to establish a direct connection with the masses through various initiatives.
Back to Rahul. The yatras may well have reduced the negativity around him prevalent for long and even helped craft a new public persona. But on the slightest examination, some clear contradictions emerge between what Rahul Gandhi is trying to project and the aspirations of the people.
Talking to young people on the Yatra route, it is clear that many want to see in Rahul a sensitivity and softness that was once associated with his father, Rajiv Gandhi. They do not want an “angry young man”. But often, his abrupt, seemingly ill-thought-out statements end up undoing any good work in terms of his image. Take his recent statement implying that there is alcoholism among the youth in Varanasi. It gave fodder to the BJP and damaged Rahul’s image as a “youth icon”.
Then there’s the fact that his lineage, once an asset to Rahul Gandhi’s image, is now increasingly becoming a liability. PM Modi’s attacks on parivaarvad – dynastic politics – are an example of how this asset is being ruptured.
The fact is that the image sought to be created through the Bharat Jodo Yatras is rife with internal contradictions. People want a coherent message from political leaders. The BJY has failed in that regard.
PM Modi has managed to project himself as “beyond politics”. He is seen by many also as a social, cultural and even religious leader. Rahul Gandhi is yet to cement his image even as a political leader.
The writer is director, G B Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad
Some clear contradictions emerge between what Rahul Gandhi is trying to project and the aspirations of the people
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05.03.2024
When it comes to public figures, especially politicians, there is the reality and the image. A politician will come to a place, meet people, address meetings and rallies and move on. In the emptiness of their departure, the image — their representation and memory — remains. These images evolve and reshape themselves, and may well become detached from the actual person — their views, values and competence. This happens through oral traditions, conversation and representations in print and electronic media. Through a combination of imagination, memory and what it sees, the public forms its version of the politicians.
In the digital age, particularly, the image and narratives around a politician have become essential to their appeal. That is why, perhaps, most leaders are either trying to build a hegemonic image or to undermine their opponents.
It is now clear that, despite some hiccups, it is the image of Rahul Gandhi that is coming to be primarily associated with the INDIA grouping. However, given the Opposition and Rahul Gandhi’s recent record, there has been a concerted attempt to........
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