Will the Ramlila Ground again play a historic role as it did in the past? In the past, at least on two occasions, a rally at the ground proved to be the game changer in Indian politics. First, in 1975, when under JP’s leadership, the Opposition held a historic rally which changed the course of history. Indira Gandhi was so rattled by the JP rally at the Ramlila Maidan that she imposed the Emergency, which proved to be her undoing, and she finally had to leave office after a massive defeat in 1977. Similarly, in 2011, the Anna movement proved to be the Manmohan Singh government’s Waterloo. This movement convinced people beyond doubt that the Manmohan Singh government was the most corrupt since Independence. The Congress party paid a heavy price in the 2014 election, being reduced to 44 seats. This was the Congress party’s most humiliating defeat. Will history repeat itself? I don’t know, but what I do know is that the government is going through a very tough time and has to take major steps to restore its image.

The Emergence Of A Resurgent Congress

It is in this context that the Ramlila Ground rally should be seen, and I am sure the government must have noted a few things. Three points need to be underlined. One, what we are witnessing today is a ‘Resurgent Congress’. Two, Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the undisputed leader of the entire opposition. He is now a ‘Dangerous Challenger’ to the Prime Minister. Three, the government is extremely ‘defensive’, and it does not know how to handle the situation.

The Congress, after its defeat in 2014, had gone into a shell. It was, top to bottom, paralysed. Its obituary was written........

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