The message from Ramlila Maidan: A new conversation on institutions is possible

6 min readNov 4, 2026 06:22 AM IST First published on: Nov 4, 2026 at 06:20 AM IST

One rally is unlikely to achieve the removal of an office holder. Critics are sure to debate the exact size of the crowd to prove that the rally was a failure. Sunday’s rally at Ramlila Maidan organised by the INDIA bloc in the national capital may be criticised for these reasons. It can also be criticised for being a political spectacle. But where governance is reduced to spectacle, the show of strength by the Opposition must be seen as significant not just for what it explicitly did but, more, for what it implied.

Politics has a tendency to throw up immediate but secondary outcomes and media has a tendency to focus on the immediate. Thus, there will be discussion — and rightly so — of the INDIA bloc getting a shot in the arm and Rahul Gandhi gaining acceptability among the Opposition. But did the rally signify anything more substantial beyond this? If it makes politics more competitive, we should welcome that. But if it injects an element of substantive competition, that may be even more pertinent. Sunday’s rally needs to be seen in this context.