After more than 100 days walking nearly the entire length of India, Rahul Gandhi, scion of the nation¡¯s most famous political dynasty, stood before a shivering crowd in rural Himachal Pradesh as a cheer went up.
Bearded and clad in a white t-shirt, Gandhi bore none of the vestiges of wealth or elitism that have smudged his family¡¯s name in recent years. In the village of Ghatota, Gandhi¡¯s message to supporters on a cold day this month was a simple one: ¡°We started this march to bring people together.¡±
His journey through India ¡ª a 3,492 kilometer (2,170 mile) trek from the country¡¯s southernmost tip to the icy north of Kashmir ¡ª marks a do-or-die moment for Gandhi, 52, who was broadly written off after Prime Minister Narendra Modi¡¯s Bharatiya Janata Party defeated his party in the last two general elections. Once an unbeatable force in Indian politics, Gandhi¡¯s Congress Party has struggled to connect with voters and overcome a reputation blotted by corruption scandals and an exodus of leadership.
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