New Delhi | Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday posted the words “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” – meaning truth, auspiciousness and beauty – on social media platform X, days before the Congress’s ‘Save the Vote, Save the Country’ march and rally scheduled for November 1 at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi.

The post featured a graphic with three white horizontal strokes crossed by a red vertical mark against a black background. The design resembles the tripundra, a Shaivite mark traditionally made with three horizontal lines of ash on the forehead. According to scholar Antonio Rigopoulos, the three lines symbolise Shiva’s threefold power of will, knowledge and action.

Gandhi has previously invoked the symbolism of Lord Shiva while speaking about demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He compared the protests to Shiva’s Tandav, describing the movement as an ongoing process that did not depend on a fixed plan.

“The plan was that we would go by bus, sit there, and get arrested. The police wouldn’t let us go. So we changed the plan,” Gandhi had said. He added that the movement was continuing in different forms and that anyone willing to participate could join what he described as Shiva’s procession, or Shiv ki Baraat.

The Congress leader had also referred to Lord Shiva during his speech in the Lok Sabha on July 1, 2024, during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. Holding an image of the deity, he described Shiva as a symbol of fearlessness, non-violence and truth.

Gandhi also spoke about the Abhaymudra, a gesture associated with reassurance and fearlessness, linking it to the idea of confronting the truth without fear. He referred to Islam, Sikhism, Christianity and Jainism while discussing the emphasis on courage across religious traditions.

Congress calls for mass participation

On October 25, Gandhi appealed to students, farmers, labourers, women, young people and traders to participate in the November 1 ‘Save the Vote, Save the Country Jan March and Mega Rally’ at Ramlila Maidan.

Alleging that voters’ names had been deleted from electoral rolls and that rules and laws had been violated, he said the Congress would not remain silent over what it described as the theft of votes.

“Our votes are being stolen, and we will not tolerate this quietly under any circumstances,” Gandhi wrote on X.

In another post announcing the programme, he urged people concerned about democracy to assemble in the national capital. “Students, farmers, labourers, women, youth, and traders – anyone who cares about democracy must come,” he wrote.

The Congress has been demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, an issue that has featured prominently in its protests.

 On Monday, Gandhi separately addressed Delhi’s business community, criticising the Central Government over alleged restrictions and traffic disruptions in the capital during the protests.

In his post, he claimed that metro services had been shut and roads sealed, affecting traders and residents. He also linked the disruption to the Congress’s allegations concerning electoral irregularities and reiterated the demand for Kumar’s removal.

“We love you and hear you,” Gandhi wrote, addressing traders. He alleged that the disruptions threatened businesses, savings and the future of their children, and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Kumar. Gandhi claimed that the protests would stop within 30 seconds if the demand were met.

The November 1 rally is expected to bring the Congress’s campaign over voter-list deletions and its demand for accountability from the Election Commission into focus. The allegations made by Gandhi and the Congress remain the party’s stated position.