One of the key takeaways from Rahul Gandhi’s press conference on Monday (October 12, 2026) was his use of Shivji ki Baraat to counter the BJP’s narrative of top-down command and control with the Opposition’s fluid, decentralised style of protest.
Follow the Anti-CEC protest LIVE updates
Shivji Ki Baraat refers to the highly unusual wedding procession of Lord Shiva as he travelled to marry Goddess Parvati. This event is central to Hindu texts like the Shiva Purana and Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas. By embedding Puranic iconography into a press conference about institutional accountability, Mr Gandhi challenged the BJP’s monopoly on religious symbolism.
It is said Lord Shiva’s wedding procession was an unprecedented gathering that brought together entities who were otherwise bitter enemies or social outcasts. With the INDIA alliance partners led by Yadav heirs (Akhilesh and Tejaswi) of Mandal politics on one side and the emerging face of Left politics, Neha Bora, on the other, Mr Gandhi attempted to translate the Opposition’s fight into a multi-polar collective where there is no singular ‘leader’ on a pedestal.
The BJP leadership quickly moved to counter the imagery, aggressively reframing the metaphor to fit their established political playbook. Top ministers counter-attacked by invoking polarising terms, calling the alliance a “Huddangiyo ki Jamaat” (a congregation of anarchists). Despite the pushback, political observers note that Mr. Gandhi’s shift to present internal contradictions as Shaivite imagery of cosmic dissidence is giving the opposition momentum as the BJP’s imagination of a moral kingdom of Ram Rajya develops cracks.
By stating that the movement is “Tandav, Lord Shiva’s dance” and there is “no need for a plan”, Mr Gandhi subverted the BJP’s frequent criticism of the opposition being “disorganised” or “chaotic,” recasting their unpredictable moves as an organic, divine, and unstoppable force.
Also Read | Amit Shah slams SIR protests, says Congress will suffer its fourth consecutive defeat in 2029
When Mr Gandhi remarked, “Anyone can join Shivji ki baraat… any living creature (jeev) can come, we will not stop them,” he perhaps implicitly acknowledged the highly unconventional alliance of diverse political forces, ranging from the unyielding street resistance of Left-wing student groups to the fiercely independent Cockroach Janata Party. He addressed the image of a Khichdi (hodgepodge) coalition with no ideological unity and a common goal for the baraat: protecting the Constitution and democratic institutions against perceived over-centralisation.
Mr Gandhi also contrasted the fluidity of the protest with a more rigid political structure, historically which he described as having a designated “king”, and an “operator,” and where the public followed behind the chariot, suggesting that the public has moved on from the era of Rath Yatras.
While Mr Gandhi has used the Lord Shiva’s symbols inside the Parliament, such as showing the Abhaya Mudra or posters of deities, to talk about fearlessness, this press conference was different because the metaphor materialised into real-time action on the streets and prime-time television within minutes.
Digital creators responded with Instagram reels of Neha Bora’s temple run from R.K. Ashram Marg to Connaught Place with the popular background song, Jab Zid Par Aa Gayi Parvati (When Parvati stood her ground) from Hanuman Ansh. The song has been a rage, but by shifting the context, it has come to signify fierce feminine resistance to authority.
Over the years, Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s Hum Dekhenge has been the default soundtrack of the progressive Leftist movement, but this Navratra, social media is abuzz with the popular devotional number, Sabse Bada Tera Naam O Sheronwali (Suhag), with visuals of female protesters being detained.
At the same time, the Congress IT cell is working on casting Mr Gandhi as Batman. It started with an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram in August, where a user asked Mr Gandhi if he was Batman. When Gandhi was filmed scaling high yellow police barricades to wave the national flag, the party’s social media team spliced this footage with cinematic clips of Batman overlooking Gotham City, cementing the imagery online.
During the march, a supporter passed a Batman mask through the crowd to the bus carrying senior opposition leaders. Mr Gandhi posed with the mask and playfully helped Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge try it on as well.
The ruling party accused the Opposition of turning serious debate into a theatrical pop culture stunt, with minister Jayant Chaudhary posting “Delhi isn’t Gotham, and we don’t need a dark superhero and Robin” on X.
A young Congress insider from Uttar Pradesh remarked that Gotham City people also believed they didn’t need a superhero. On a deeper, mythological level, he said, the imagery of Lord Shiva and Batman shows striking parallels. By deploying both symbols simultaneously during the protests, the party tapped into a shared psychological image of the “righteous outsider” fighting a “compromised institutional framework” to protect ordinary citizens.
Published – October 14, 2026 09:02 am IST
