Chalo Delhi : Popular Will of India
On December 15, 1945, at Sibasagar, Assam, Jawaharlal Nehru delivered a historic speech to define Delhi Chalo, which signifies “We Shall Make Delhi Respond to the Popular Will of India”. Nehru told the crowd that we talk about repression by fascists in Germany, Italy, and Japan, but nobody yet knows the full measure of the suffering of Indian people under severe repression by the British government.
When people rebel, the government resorts to unthinkable repression. The BJP government, led by PM Modi, was taught under RSS ideology, which was brought by Dr. B.S. Munje, from Italian fascism, cracked down heavily on the youth of India on July 20, 2026, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. And when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a sit-in at the Prime Minister’s residence, demanding justice for those students who suffered pellet gun injuries, Delhi Police used force to detain Rahul Gandhi. Again, when Rahul Gandhi wanted to march towards the Election Commission office and demanded the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Delhi Police retaliated by using a heavy crackdown on opposition leaders and arresting them.
BJP and RSS fascist Hindutva forces think firing bullets, tear gas, and mass detention would deter and weaken Congress. But they forgot that when the British imperialist government responded with heavy repression and crackdowns on Congress leaders and workers fighting for independence, Congress came out fiercer and stronger in its will. Today’s Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, is fiercer and more determined than ever before because Rahul Gandhi is not fighting to win elections and grab power, but has rallied the people of India and Congressmen in an ideological battle to protect the soul and spirit of Indian-ness, Indian democracy, the Constitution, and people’s liberty. The temperature is rising, and people are hitting the road, claiming Indian democracy and constitutional spirit. It’s the time when we can compare the explosive spirit and enthusiasm of people to the era of British rule, when Congressmen were on the streets, holding the Charkha flag and singing patriotic songs while bearing the severe repression of British forces.
On August 15, 1947, India became independent and started framing the Constitution, and hence became a republic on January 26, 1950. We got an independent country, breaking the shackles of centuries-old slavery. We, the people of India, stand together under the protection of the national flag and Constitution and hold the sacred republic book, the Constitution of India. It was a moment of joy that our ancestors must have dreamed of. It was a time of reclaiming the motherland with vim and verve.
Now, the same British-era imperialist theory is being applied by the BJP under PM Modi and under Hindutva ideology. BJP wants to destroy the social, constitutional, and democratic fabric of India and implement a ruling structure inspired by Manusmriti’s Hindutva pattern; it's been their dream since 1947, when India gained independence. They rejected our independence outright and claimed it was a fraud.
The British government wanted to crush Congressmen. In the same way, BJP wants to suppress and subjugate the Congress party and its workers. But Congress belongs to the people of India and their will, not to any class, community, or interest group. Congress is like a banyan tree for all classes, creeds, sects, and castes who aspire for a constitutional and democratic republic. As long as the Congress party and Congressmen live in India, there would be no Hindu Raj or any other Raj, but a Raj for all under a constitutional democratic system. Congress stands like a rock to fight anti-democratic, anti-constitutional, and anti-Indian forces; Congress has a permanent place in the hearts of people of all classes and religions.
On October 12, 2026, Rahul Gandhi gave a call, “Chalo Delhi”, to march on the streets of Delhi to raise the issue of “Vote Chori” orchestrated by BJP in connivance with the Election Commission of India. The streets of Delhi were filled with people standing for a republican India and showed why Congress is so strong; Congress is a people’s party run by the will of the people of India, not by the desires of a few, as is the case with other parties. On the streets of Delhi on October 12, people expressed themselves under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, showing why the resolution of the popular will of India matters for the independent Indian spirit. BJP’s aspiration for Hindutva rule along the lines of an imperialist fascist design brought together the people of India, whose blood had served the nation and who had fought for the nation when required. They came to occupy the streets of Delhi, inspired by freedom fighters and nation-builders. They know that only Congress can provide that platform to unite the masses and awaken them.
The theory of majoritarianism of the fascist government was decimated by the people of India on October 12. They expressed their anger, aims, and intentions that day in Delhi. It must have been a dangerous picture for PM Modi and BJP as a whole. They would never have imagined that they would have to face a sea of people in the heart of the Indian capital, where fascist theoreticians feel most safe and protected under their manufactured fortress. Initially, BJP machinery did try to divide people based on caste, religion, ideology, and region. PM Modi used every tactical and strategic nuance to capture the minds and expressions of people and combine them into one way forward, i.e., BJP and Hindutva, but they failed to realise the true ethos and rationale of Indian diversity. Indian ethics and principles are heavily inspired by Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, and Bhagat Singh, ideologically and psychologically. Indians can’t be tamed by a single path-driven doctrine. Nobody can put a blanket cover of one thesis on all of India and its people; that’s where BJP made huge mistakes and lost the plot of fascist dogma. And it’s here that Congress comes into the picture. Congress is a party of pan-Indianness; it’s a design of the Indian spirit and flavour that connects with every Indian. Congress believes in diverse Indian ethos, a religiously tolerant attitude, and maintaining the secular fabric while protecting the diversity of food, attire, language, and practices. The surveillance system of BJP can’t stop Congress’s beliefs and principles, which are directly connected with the people. Here, BJP fails and Congress wins. And on October 12, it was the victory of the people, the victory of the people’s will, and the victory of their expression of Indian democratic consciousness. They claimed Delhi when Rahul Gandhi gave the slogan “Chalo Delhi”.
On October 12, 2026, Rahul Gandhi gave the call “Chalo Delhi” to the people of India to make the BJP government in Delhi hear the popular will of India, and people demonstrated their resolve at this time of reckoning.
When Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru gave the call of “Delhi Chalo” in 1945, it was a call to make the British government hear the popular will of India. On October 12, 2026, Rahul Gandhi’s call of “Chalo Delhi” echoed that same spirit of democratic expression and people’s participation. The historical context may have changed, but the central principle remains the same: the will of the people must be heard, respected, and protected. Delhi has witnessed this spirit before, and it witnessed it again on October 12. The call for Delhi is ultimately a call for the people, their constitutional rights, and the democratic ideals upon which the Republic of India stands.
Jai Hind|
Ganpat Ram, Robert Yadav