“Yatras have an evocative place in Indian political history. In 1930 Mahatma Gandhi – the ultimate non-violent alpha – walked nearly 400km over 24 days in what became known as the “salt march”.
[…]
In the eyes of party members and outsiders alike, [Rahul Gandhi’s] march had a number of political limitations. The young ex-Congress leader told me that the yatras had turned Gandhi into a foot soldier, rather than a general: “From the top you can cover much more ground than when you are on the ground itself.” Some supporters thought that all the love talk was ineffectual. “Politics is like jungle warfare, you can’t spread love while the bjp keeps winning. We’re out of touch!” Poonawalla, the exasperated commentator, said. One newspaper headline went: “A journey in search of a destination”.” https://www.economist.com/1843/2024/05/02/rahul-gandhi-is-on-the-march-but-where-is-he-heading
Decency, apparently, isn’t popular in India anymore.
