The Congress party asked for it and it got it in full measure — The Parliament Debate on the “Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India.” The debate was initiated by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.

Those who have seen and read Parliamentary debates on Constitutional amendments and issues in the past 75 years must have found the debate a frustrating charade, sound and fury signifying nothing. From the Congress, Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spoke. They are seen as the angry young carpetbaggers of the Modi era. Both are mad at Modi and would go to any length to discredit and dislodge him. Unfortunately, neither the Gandhi siblings nor their Congress party has the required strength to match a giant stalking Indian political landscape.

Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra, who led the Congress charge in the debate, seemed to lack scholarship and oratorical skill, much required in a Parliamentary debate.

But, being born into a dynasty that owns the Congress party, which has highest number of MPs among all the members of I.N.D.I.A Block in the Parliament, the siblings have the first claim on leading the party in the Parliament.

To watch them ‘perform’ in the Parliament was a pathetic spectacle. The angry siblings were seen entering the Parliament very conspicuously. Rahul carrying that ubiquitous “pocket” copy of the Constitution while Priyanka entered the Parliament with a sling-bag imprinted with the name ‘Palestine.’ They did not seem to be serious about their responsibility as Members of the Parliament and about the most serious debate at hand.

Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, always dressed properly and maintained proper demeanour. There was dignity and grace in their persona. The Members of the House would look at them with admiration, anticipation and seriousness. In contrast, what we saw at the Parliament during the debate about the two from the same dynasty was disquieting.

Be that as it may, we know what and how they spoke in the Parliament from the newspapers and TV. As the debate progressed, it was like a verbal war between Genies and Efrits.

The Constitution is in danger, screamed the Congress, joined by its allies. The Constitution is in safe hands heralded the BJP, joined by its allies. At the end of it all, the general perception was the debate was a disaster. There was much acrimony than light on the 75 years of our Constitution. Many senior citizens expected Shashi Tharoor to participate in the debate but were disappointed. From the ruling party, Nirmala Sitharaman was a star performer who exposed past sins of Nehru-Indira-Rajiv era and it was delivered in her own style, sting and audacity. One got the feeling Nehru for all his english and fineness was an autocrat fond of sending his adversaries to jail unlike Modi who is allowing God to deal with his adversaries !

However, like always it was again Prime Minister Narendra Modi who carried the debate to its logical end and delivered such a blow to the Opposition that it silenced them to regret the self-goal and defeat. In the past, there were Opposition MPs like Piloo Mody who used to mix humour in their speeches and send the House into peals of laughter. Today, we have a comedy show instead.

Hearing Rahul Gandhi, I remembered Dr. B.R. Ambedkar who said, “A disaster may easily overtake a man with an empty mind. Such a person is like a ship without ballast and without rudder. It can have no direction. It may float but may also suffer a shipwreck against a  rock for want of direction.”

Modi is the rock. You may guess the ship. Dr. Ambedkar’s thoughts will make one to reflect on a man’s maturity. Only a country with mature men can make a mature, civilised, confident nation. It was the maturity of French politicians, across party lines, that made them invite Charles de Gaulle to head the country after the Fourth Republic collapsed following World War II. He became the architect of the Fifth Republic that brought stability to France from 1959 to 1969. By the way, when a group of political leaders went to request de Gaulle to save the Republic, the General was in his farm busy working on a canvas, placed on an easel, painting a landscape. Can we expect our politicians to unite to agree on search for a leader in a crisis like the French did?

France is a good example for countries to learn that a failure of leadership will lead to the failure of a nation — in war and in peace. We are warned.

Tailpiece: It is not surprising that Shashi Tharoor, a four-time Congress MP, has got the Congress culture well-embedded in his person — Bhakti to the deities of the dynasty. Asked about Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s maiden speech, Tharoor told reporters: “I think it was an excellent maiden speech…” Really? If this is his opinion, then good he did not participate in the debate and not chosen to be the Congress President. Who knows he would have lost his voice and become the voice of the dynasty instead. Amen.

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