00:00Rahul Gautam, someone who's been covering the Congress for many, many moons,
00:04joining me right now from the Ramdeela Medan.
00:06Rahul, first question, what next?
00:10This was this one big mega rally that the opposition was building towards.
00:15Is the Congress and the opposition going to continue to escalate now in protest
00:20or now with this massive big show of strength in the national capital,
00:24the action shifts now to states that are poll-bound?
00:28How does the opposition and what is the plan of the Congress to take on
00:32and take forward the charge of Votchori and Gyanesh Kumar?
00:41Well, you know, we heard speeches not just of Rahul Gandhi, we heard Akhilesh Yadav also.
00:47And in fact, you know, he spoke about Votchori, he spoke about SIR, voter deletion.
00:52It seems that the election tone is being set, you know, ahead of UP polls.
00:57And at least for the upcoming UP assembly polls, it seems that the SIR or voter deletion
01:03is going to be major, major poll-playing as far as opposition is concerned.
01:07Now, what next?
01:08Expect that at least till Diwali, there's not going to be, you know,
01:13a big protest or march happening in the national capital.
01:15Some respite would be given to the Congress workers who have been on streets for the past few weeks.
01:21We have seen several, you know, major protests and marches happening.
01:24So therefore, you know, there was a mobilization that was happening for quite some time.
01:29But now, given the fact that a big vote, alleged Votchori, you know,
01:35Ramayana Maidan rally has been concluded, expect that for next few days,
01:40it's going to be a bit of a pause.
01:43But then Rahul Gandhi and opposition seems to be in an absolute same page.
01:48That SIR and CAC removal, these are the two main issues that they're not going to relent.
01:55And given the fact that Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerji, Tejas P. Yadav,
02:00all these people saying and repeating their charge that elections were stolen, mandate was stolen,
02:06it seemed that the entire opposition seems to be absolutely convinced
02:10that the ongoing SIR exercise is being happening at the behest of the ruling party
02:16to give them undue advantage.
02:18And the level playing field has been taken off from our country.
02:22And in fact, you know, describing Ganesh Kumar as a traitor,
02:26describing Votchori as the rarest of rare crime.
02:29And in fact, and I must also tell our viewers that there was organic crowd also today
02:35as you can see and hear slogans behind me.
02:38Not just Congress workers, not just TMC, Samajwadi Party workers.
02:42We saw ordinary people, you know, ordinary citizens also coming,
02:47commoners also coming on streets with their, you know, play cards,
02:51handmade play cards, not printed play cards as we see by Congress supporters
02:55or BJP supporters.
02:57So clearly it seems that the narrative that they are trying to build upon
03:03for quite some time, many believe in the opposition seems to be now working well.
03:07And now it is going very well into the society at the very micro level.
03:13And that's why they believe that it's going to help them
03:15in the upcoming elections, in the upcoming time.
03:19One thing is very important and one thing is very visible also,
03:22Priti, that the cadre seems to be absolutely energized.
03:28There seems to be a fatigueness that had come in,
03:31in opposition election machinery.
03:33But this time it seems that everybody is on street.
03:36And it seems that since Rahul Gandhi is leading the charge,
03:39many believe that, you know, unlike previous issue of Rafale,
03:46this time many believe it's going to revive the electoral fortunes
03:50in the upcoming days.
03:56Well, you know, you're bang on in that,
03:58because what the sense that you pick up
04:00from the kind of cadre mobilization today,
04:03the numbers that came in,
04:04and with the vigor that they came in,
04:07there is a skip in the step of the opposition cadre,
04:11and that hasn't been really witnessed in the last decade for sure.
04:14So there is, when you speak with them,
04:17there is hope of possibility.
04:18And in politics, if there is hope,
04:20and if they feel that this is their moment,
04:23that they can electorally hopefully convert in the future,
04:26for the Congress and the opposition,
04:29that's great news.
04:30Because to keep your cadre energetic,
04:33to keep your cadre energized,
04:35to keep them mobilized,
04:37and to, you know, instill that faith in your cadre,
04:41that it is possible to have a shorted power,
04:44and you can make it, you know,
04:46you can turn the government.
04:48That, for the first time,
04:50I would think,
04:50has been visible in the cadre today,
04:53and you could actually sense it.
04:55So I think more than any,
04:57you know, one can dwell on the numbers,
05:00and debate about the numbers in television studios.
05:03But the biggest takeaway today,
05:05at least for someone who's been tracking
05:07the opposition party rallies,
05:08is you can actually sense momentum
05:11in the cadre of the opposition.
05:14And that, for the Congress,
05:16would be going a long way.
