Reporter's diary: A yatra that inspires myriad opinions

CHENNAI: Gauging the political upshot of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo yatra might be a wee bit premature, but the Congress party can be certain of one outcome — exposing divisions in the rival camp.

Just when the pundits are busy racking their brains on whether the yatra would jack up the political stakes of the grand old party, support and condemnation poured in simultaneously from the Marxist camp.

CPIM MP from Madurai, Su Venkatesan, has rushed to the defence of the yatra, ostensibly, to offset the criticism from the BJP.

Sahitya Akademi winning Marxist MP was understood to have argued that people who are unable to criticise the political intention of Rahul Gandhi are talking about his T shirts and shoes. The Marxist MPs’ casual jab at the BJP, for a moment, made critics on social media wonder if even the Congress could have packed a punch with such venom.

The comrade’s one-liner should have come as a relief for the congressmen who were criticised left, right and centre by the same comrades in neighbouring Kerala. Yes, the ruling Marxist party in God’s own country has ridiculed Gandhi’s itinerary, specifically about his brief schedule for BJP-ruled UP and Gujarat, while planning around a fortnight for Kerala.