Why politics and long marches are connected
What’s a powerful political rally without a long march? The term comes from an actual Long March, in 1934 in China, when Communist groups, facing imminent defeat at the hands of Kuomintang, started a long and difficult retreat reportedly stretching over 9,000 km. The walk consolidated rebel groups and led to the ascent of Mao Zedong, and eventually the rise of Communism in the country.
Back home, a few years earlier in 1930, the 24-day, 390km Dandi March led by Gandhi was India’s own epochal moment in the freedom struggle. In the United States, the suffragette movement of the early 20th century took on long marches, demanding voting rights for women. The American civil rights movement of the 1960s and today’s Pride Marches (right) across the world stem from the idea that you can walk to make a point. And if enough people walk, with enough purpose for enough time and distance, they can change the course of history.
In India, long padyatras (rallies on foot) play a significant role in politics. Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is credited largely to the 3,640 km padyatra he took across the state.
Rasheed Kidwai, writer, political author and visiting fellow at the think-tank, Observer Research Foundation, says reaching out on foot is a stronger political tool than ever in the wired world.
“In a vast and diverse country like India, it remains the most important way to connect with people,” he points out. “The penetration of the English media is limited and the regional media is fragmented. Also, as a society, we believe in the idea of meeting people in person.”
One of the most significant influences of a padyatra was seen in the political career of Chandra Shekhar. “In 1983, he had gone on a six-month long padyatra from Kanyakumari to Delhi,” says Kidwai.
“It contributed to his image as a leader and to his understanding of how the Indian voters think. Top leaders from BJP, Congress and Janata Dal respected his views,” he says. So it was no surprise that he held the Prime Minister’s office for a brief period from 10 November 1990 to 21 June 1991.
Karthick Ram Manoharan, assistant professor of political science, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata, says a physical walk fosters a sense of community, a feel of the material world. It breaks away from virtual social networks and armchair activism. The streets give you a sense of what the real world is. There is a sense of danger but there is also a feeling of a real togetherness with all the people who are with you, he says. “Hashtag movements miss this crucial aspect.” Manoharan says that the mere act of walking among people sends your message out to various strata of society.
In February, when over 50,000 farmers marched 180 km to reach Mumbai, the message of their protest against government’s failure to deal with mounting debts on farmers and protecting their rights reached the city long before they arrived and even industrialists like Anand Mahindra tweeted about it. “People from across classes stepped out to receive the marching farmers. So many people in the city got curious and started learning about issues like loan waiver and forest rights,” says Vijoo Krishnan, joint secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), which led the march.