Sonia Gandhi signals to partymen: Congress needs you

Sonia Gandhi celebrated her 69th birthday like a never-seen-before affair where she engaged with her supporters and was all smiles

People started gathering from 8.30 am. By 9.30 am, the crowd had swelled. Suddenly, the gates were flung open. With the minimum of security checks and mobile phones in their pockets, the Congress surged in through the gates of 10 Janpath to greet its leader, Sonia Gandhi, on her 69th birthday. Old people hobbled on sticks to make their way to the House.

Younger Congressmen clutched bunches of flowers. Gandhi has not celebrated her birthday for the last several years. In 2014, her first birthday after the Congress lost the general election, was a sombre affair. The excuse was terror and Naxal attacks in Kashmir and Chhattisgarh respectively.

“In solidarity with the martyred Army and police personnel there, Sonia Gandhi has asked Congresspersons not to celebrate her birthday,” the party had said in a statement. This was a signal to partymen not to bother her after the worst electoral debacle of the Congress in 30 years.

In 2013, the Congress’s rout in the Assembly elections prompted her to ask the party to scrap celebrations, though the ostensible reason was the death of Nelson Mandela (the Congress strongly denied suggestions that electoral loss was the reason celebrations were cancelled). Not that there were too many people there to celebrate.

Brijlal Thakur, a Badarpur resident who has been selling accessories such as Congress flags, badges, scarfs, mufflers, diaries and directories outside the party office and Gandhi’s residence, says he got no business that year. It was the year of Deep Depression. This year, it was different. Roji M John, president, National Students Union of India (NSUI), says Gandhi came out of her house to meet people and stayed with Congress workers for nearly an hour-and-a-half.

“We were pleasantly surprised that we were allowed to take our mobile phones with us. Normally, the SPG harasses us. This time, no one said a thing. She laughed and chatted with us and took pictures with us. People gave her flowers and garlands. We felt strong.”

Almost as if in response to the call to resist political vendetta, it was not just Congress workers but state leaders, members of the working committee and other outfits like the Mahila Congress and Seva Dal who reached her home early in the morning.

Congress supporters celebrate party President Sonia Gandhi's birthday at outside her residence in New Delhi

“This was not just our response to the vendetta, or reiteration of our intention to protect her and defy the government to do its worst. It was also that the Congress worker is worried about her health and it was so nice to see her so radiant and reaching out to us,” said President of Mahila Congress Shobha Oza.

The Congress needs its workers as much as they need the Congress. Sonia Gandhi’s invocation of Indira Gandhi is somewhat akin to a screen statement made by the former Governor of California. In a 1984 movie, Arnie said: “I’ll be back!”