Long marches are supposed to be rich in symbolism. Mao's 8,000-mile march with 86,000 Red Army personnel in October 1934, for example, was the founding myth of modern China. Mao had called the march a symbol of endurance to build a new China. But Mr Panda of the BJP said that since "newer modes of messaging have taken over via mass and social media and other types of public gatherings", long marches would only succeed when the leader has "public connect and credibility".
