Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra reached Kerala’s Alappuzha district on Saturday a week after the foot march entered the state. The former Congress president is meeting people from various walks of life during the march with which the grand old party hopes to revive its fortunes ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Among those whom he met in Kerala so far is Sridhar Radhakrishnan, an engineer and environmental activist who is part of the think-tank that exposed the economic, environmental and technical problems behind the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project.
Radhakrishnan, who identifies himself as a socialist with Left leanings ideologically, joined Gandhi during the yatra in Thiruvananthapuram as requested by the Congress’ state leaders. He says his perception of the Congress leader changed dramatically during the brief interaction he had with the Wayanad MP.
“I found him very sharp, seriously thinking and highly concerned about the country. I found his fundamentals solid,” Radhakrishnan told Onmanorama. He said he was absolutely impressed by the way Gandhi answered his questions, especially about the political outcome of the march.
“I asked him about the possibility of the yatra reviving the Congress. His answer was that it depended on how I wanted to look upon the Congress – ‘I think the Congress is a conversation. Now that conversation is dead. I think we should bring that conversation back.’ This is what he told me,” Radhakrishnan recounted the conversation.
“It not only struck me but also gave me a reply to many of the questions that we are facing,” he said.
The topics Radhakrishnan discussed with Gandhi included agrarian distress, environmental issues and the need for a minimum income scheme for the poor. Radhakrishnan was part of the collectives that called for an income support scheme for farmers even before the Congress proposed the NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) scheme ensuring a minimum income for poor households during the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. “NYAY is something the nation must discuss, converse and take it forward for all BPL families. It’s a game changer policy,” Radhakrishnan said.
“When I raised my concerns about the way environmental laws are being amended by the Modi government, he totally agreed with me. During the discussions, I also touched upon the environmental issues Kerala faces, including coastal erosion. I told him SilverLine is the wrong project. I also brought to his notice the concerns raised about the Vizhinjam port project when it started,” Radhakrishnan remembered.
Explaining why he extends support to the march, Radhakrishnan said he totally agreed with the fundamental ideas behind the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“We are all being divided and restricted into mere hateful beings. A dialogue about why this has to change is the need of the hour. That’s the only reason I decided to join the yatra. I think this is a moment in the country’s history and we should stand with it. Political differences don’t matter here,” Radhakrishnan said, making it clear he has been a staunch critic of the 10 years of the UPA rule.
