After Wimbledon, Cricket and Football World Cup, we thought we had enough of watching TV, but then Telugu Desam Party (TDP) moved a No Confidence Motion against the BJP government and it was time to watch TV again. And yesterday from 11 am to 11 pm, we had a political drama unfold on TV. Sadly, a political drama that served no purpose for the citizens.
The TDP thought the Congress agreed to support their motion to help Andhra Pradesh but the Congress hijacked their plans and turned the No Confidence Motion to “have confidence in Rahul” motion.
After Rahul Gandhi’s speech, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted “an astonishing performance, tearing apart the Govt’s claims & ending with that unscripted hug that has literally taken the BJP’s breath away #BhukampAaGaya.”
Yes, the MP known for his rich cache of English vocabulary was so astonished by Rahul’s speech that he could not find any words in English to describe it and was compelled to use a Hindi phrase Bhukamp Aa Gaya (there is an earthquake).
Well, when there is an earthquake everything and everyone shakes, but no one shook, except the Prime Minister who thought Rahul was asking him to get up from his seat.
In fact, many thought Rahul Gandhi was asking the Prime Minster to get up from his seat as he felt Modi did not deserve to be the PM. One cannot be faulted for presuming this considering Rahul did this just after tearing into the Prime Minister while moving a No Confidence Motion.
Now, by giving the Prime Minister a hug, the Congress President was trying to say that unlike BJP who mock him and spread hate, Congress believes in loving and respecting even its opponents. But some of us feared that since both men like one-upmanship, things could get out of hand. How?
While Rahul was trying show he is a man of love with his jappi (hug), we thought the PM would try to outdo him by giving him a pappi (kiss). We thought that a pappi was coming when the PM called Rahul back after the awkward hug, but alas it did not happen. But if it had, it would be so much fun. Why?
Well, because some crazy right wing man may have filed a PIL against the two men for involving in an unnatural act. Then we are sure the BJP would say Rahul Gandhi forced himself and his jappi on the PM and the PM shot a pappi in self-defence !
Jokes apart, while many felt that it was nice of Rahul to hug the PM sending a message of love and respect towards an adversary, his wink after the act ruined his chances of walking away on a high note.
The wink indicated that the hug was not a spontaneous act of affection and respect but a well-calculated political move to create a perception that Rahul was all about love and respect while Modi was not.
The wink also proved that the hug was meaningless and insincere. This reminds us of what one author wrote about BJP and Congress parties’ attitude towards minorities — “What the BJP does in the light of day, Congress does in the dark of night.” It means BJP openly uses religion for politics while Congress hoodwinks minorities. May be, the sad state of minorities after decades of Congress rule proves this hollow love.
Rahul Gandhi’s embrace and wink may have left many in the Congress embarrassed, but they should know by now that their President has an inclination for theatrics.
Remember in 2013 when Ajay Maken, then Spokesperson of Congress was sitting at a press conference defending a Congress-initiated Ordinance, Rahul Gandhi walked in, took over the press conference and said “My opinion is that the Ordinance is nonsense, should be torn up and thrown out.”
He then dramatically added, “I will repeat it for you, my personal opinion about the Ordinance is that it is complete nonsense, it should be torn and thrown away.” And then he left, leaving behind a room full of confused media persons and a spooked Congress Spokesperson.
This is not the first time that Rahul has abruptly jumped into an issue. We remember, when the whole nation came alive in support of the Lokpal agitation, Rahul was nowhere to be seen. Then suddenly he appeared in Parliament and spoke about making Lokpal a Constitutional body. It was too late and didn’t have the desired effect.
We also remember how he dramatically tore up a sheet of paper to drive home the point that BSP in UP was not keeping its promises at a public rally. Today the same party is his ally.
Rahul’s speech yesterday though had factual errors was well-received until he showed his ‘bachpana’ (immature behaviour) with a hug and wink as PM pointed out. One needs to be serious when you are planning to bring down a government you have no confidence in.
Today India needs a powerful opposition leader who can counter Modi in terms of oration and confidence. A credible opposition is the need of the hour in India as BJP wins State after State.
A credible opposition is necessary for a healthy democracy as it is the opposition which is the watchdog — Catch them when they lie and bite them when they steal.
Unfortunately, our Opposition Party, the Congress is led by a man who neither has the bark nor the bite. It is unfortunate that he squanders every opportunity he gets. It makes us wish Priyanka Gandhi steps in. We bet Congress men are wishing the same.
e-mail: vikram@starofmysore.com
This post was published on July 21, 2018 6:19 pm