PM’s ‘raincoat’ remark isn’t a blasphemy!
The Congress threat to boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament over his ‘raincoat' jibe on his predecessor Manmohan Singh is an over-reaction. Additionally, the demand by Congress for an apology from the Prime Minister is nothing but a deliberate attempt to derail the Budget Session of Parliament. If the Congress proceeds with its threat, it will reinforce the perception that it is out to sabotage Parliament’s functioning. The motive behind the boycott call is clear from senior Congress leader Anand Sharma’s remark: “The last chapter of the story scripted by the Prime Minister will be written by the Opposition.” What an irony that these are the very same leaders, who during the Winter Session, had demanded the Prime Minister’s presence in Parliament to speak on critical policy matters, including demonetisation. Now in the current Budget Session, the same politicians, joined by a few other frustrated ones, who were waiting for an occasion, may boycott Modi. As it is a crucial Budget Session and some significant decisions are to be taken, in the remaining days in March, the Opposition will have to bear the brunt of non-functioning of Parliament. Now, Congress leaders are mustering support among opposition parties. The success of this venture remains to be seen. Parties may gang up against the Government, the way they did during the initial days of the launch of demonetisation scheme. The most pertinent question that comes to one’s mind is: Is this the way the Opposition should behaveIJ Is the Opposition (especially the Congress) displaying maturity in refusing to accept its defeat in the 2014 lok Sabha electionIJ Is it the Congress's arrogance that only it knows governance and the rest are not capable enough to run this countryIJ Answers to all these questions are not far to seek. Besides, when the Prime Minister took a jibe at Manmohan Singh over the latter’s claim of being clean despite presiding over a scam-ridden regime, he was not off the mark. After all, the Supreme Court has ruled on the two biggest scams of the Manmohan Singh rule: 2G Spectrum scam and coal block allocation scam, and cancelled the licences the regime had awarded.
The Congress’s reaction is also hypocritical. It has in the past poured venom on Modi even when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Congress president Sonia Gandhi once referred to Modi as maut ke saudagar and then accused him of indulging in zeher ki kheti during the 2014 campaign. These were shocking remarks. Her son, Rahul Gandhi, has been no less vitriolic. Recently, he accused the Prime Minister of doing khoon ki dalali after the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. lesser leaders from the Congress have used words such as ‘snake’ and ‘scorpion’ to describe Modi. Do these leaders not realise that the people are disgusted with their conductIJ If Rahul Gandhi wants to be taken seriously, he must move beyond political rhetoric, and display credibility and maturity to lead his party. Anti-Modism, largely crafted by the likes of him to fire up his party in decline, will not work. Prime Minister Modi will be judged by the common man and not the so-called leaders of Oxbridge fame, and cheap populists.