On May 23 this year, Rahul Gandhi held a ‘Mann ki Baat’ with truck drivers, driving and spending time with the group from Delhi to Chandigarh.
There are about 90 lakh truck drivers on Indian roads, which translated to an opportunity for the Congress, as the drivers protested against the new rules under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita that increase imprisonment to 10 years in cases of hit-and-run by truck drivers.
Though the strike has been called off now, Rahul Gandhi came out strongly in the drivers’ defence, calling the new rules ‘Shehanshaah ka farmaan’ (emperor’s diktat), and alleging that laws are being passed without consulting the Opposition and those affected by it. This support served multiple purposes for the party.
One, truck drivers are the lifelines of the Indian demand and supply system. With an unregimented life, they fit into the un-entitled category. For the Congress, this vote bank matters to show that the party cares for the common man. The BJP has accused the Grand Old Party of promoting misplaced fears and politicising the issue.
To bolster Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Jan Nayak’ series, where he met people working in different fields like gig workers, carpenters and truck drivers, there is an attempt to mould him as a leader who “unlike the PM who cares for corporates, cares for those who never find a place in the government’s thoughts and plans”.
While there was some concern that Congress’s support for truck drivers over the stringent provision may hurt those who have been victims of hit-and-run accidents, the party seems to have weighed its options. It feels that the narrative for the INDIA front is a fight to save democracy and in the opposition to the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, the Congress can change the discourse for 2024.
The party is also reliving the demonetisation memories of long lines at ATMS by showcasing the panic buying at petrol pumps. Despite a resolution, the party wouldn’t want the pictures to be forgotten in a hurry.
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