From Anna Hazare to Rahul Gandhi: Ramlila Maidan’s political reversal

Time has come full circle. The players have changed, but the ground remains the same. Ramlila Maidan, once the epicentre of the anti-corruption movement that paved the way for the fall of the Congress-led UPA government in 2014, witnessed a strikingly different political spectacle on Sunday, 1 November.

The same ground that hosted a mass mobilisation against the Congress-led government, with the BJP supporting the Anna Hazare movement from behind the scenes, was now the venue for a Congress-led Opposition gathering against the BJP government.

Twenty-one Opposition parties came together at the historic ground, underlining how the political landscape has changed over the past 12 years. Equally significant was the presence of civil society representatives and activists who had been at the forefront of the anti-corruption movement against the UPA government from 2010 onward. Many of them were now sharing the stage with the Opposition.

The participation of the CPI(M), CPI(ML) and student activists was particularly noteworthy. Both the CPI(M) and CPI(ML) had supported the Anna movement. This time, Both CPIM and CPI(ML) general-secretaries M.A. Baby and Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed the gathering.

“Modi is the emperor of lies. He lies the most to women, farmers — everyone. His fascism will not prevail in this country. To end ‘vote theft’ and protect democracy and the Constitution, we must unite and fight together,” said the CPI(M) general-secretary.

Between 2014 and 2026, Indian politics has undergone an almost 180-degree transformation. Communal politics has become the new normal, a relatively free media has reduced itself to lapdog media, and crony capitalism has emerged as a defining feature of the Indian economy.

The Congress, too, has undergone a significant transformation. From being the ruling party at the receiving end of a massive anti-corruption movement, it has now emerged as the principal force leading the Opposition's fight against the BJP.

The Congress, once on the defensive against a powerful anti-corruption mobilisation, is now leading a broad Opposition campaign against the BJP. Yet, the demand for political change and the question of accountability remain as relevant as ever. If anything, the urgency of that demand was palpable at Sunday's rally.

Few could understand this political reversal better than Rahul Gandhi, who has spent much of the past 12 years facing relentless political attacks, ridicule on social media and an often-hostile media environment.

When the Leader of the Opposition rose to address the gathering towards the end of the rally, the crowd erupted in slogans and cheers. Amid the noise and sloganeering, Rahul sought to lay out his political strategy before both the gathering and the INDIA bloc. Describing the mobilisation against the Modi government as ‘Shiv ki barat’, he framed the struggle to protect people's voices as a new form of dharma.

“The voice of every citizen of Hindustan must be raised — this is the most important thing for me,” he said.

Rahul sought to portray the gathering not merely as a show of strength by political parties but as a collective expression of public anxiety. The voices of young people, farmers and workers, he argued, were calling for the protection of democracy and the Constitution.

Outside the political speeches, Rahul's message appeared to find resonance among sections of the gathering.

Several farmers who had travelled from Haryana said they believed Rahul had been warning the country about the consequences of the government's policies for years, but that people had failed to take his warnings seriously.

“Rahul Gandhi had been telling us for years, but we ignored him. Now we are facing the consequences,” said a group of protesters, who spoke of the severe power crisis they had experienced over the past several decades.

A group of Adivasi women who had travelled from Chhattisgarh said they saw Rahul Gandhi's politics as one of inclusion and bringing people together.

“Rahul Gandhi takes everybody along. The BJP has created divisions among people. We cannot be divided,” they said.

The symbolism of Ramlila Maidan was difficult to miss. Twelve years ago, the ground had become the launching pad for a political movement that helped dislodge the Congress from power.

On Sunday, it became the stage for an Opposition determined to challenge the BJP's political dominance. The faces, slogans and political alignments had changed. But Ramlila Maidan once again became a site of resistance, this time with Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc seeking to turn public discontent into a broader political movement.