Most of the issues raised by the lead Opposition, to crucify the Government, have fallen flat. Even the Sushma Swaraj-lalit Modi case has no merit. The Congress and its allies have been cornered and left without a face-saver
Holding Parliament hostage for the wrong reason will force all to discuss the dubious, garrulous and anti-development role played by the Opposition. Based on its own experience, the Congress must be thinking: How did the BJP Government not commit any blundersIJ Or perhaps, it is seeing things from the wrong side of the telescope!
Charges of corruption against Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje have been proved to be without merit. No help was extended to former Indian Premier league boss lalit Modi. The letter that Ms Raje wrote to the law firm in london is not an affidavit. It was given in the context of the situation in which Mr Modi was.
Also, at that time, Mr Modi had not committed any act that would fall within the purview of illegality. And Ms Raje did not testify before a court. So, neither favouritism nor quid pro quo is established. The charges of corruption against Ms Raje’s son, Mr Dushyant Singh, have fallen flat.
The Congress has apparently realised that it does not have any strong ground because these incidents are related to State Governments and leaders. Parliament may not be the right forum to raise these issues. Also, these issues cannot help the Opposition corner the NDA Government, in particular Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Hurt and insulted, the Congress has decided to focus exclusively on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. But bad luck for the Congress here too. The Congress knows that if it gives Ms Swaraj a chance to speak, she will pulverise the Opposition’s stand. Besides being a good orator, Ms Swarah has the facts on her side.
Ms Swaraj’s conviction of having done nothing wrong has given her the strength to take on the Opposition. Who runs away from a debateIJ The Congress will like the country to believe that it is running away from debate because it has the truth. Hence, its best bet is not to allow any arguments and insist on resignations first.
One clarification from Ms Swaraj — that a decision taken by the UK Government on Mr lalit Modi’s visa will not impact India-UK relations — is the basis of the Congress’s cacophony, in its attempts to sully the Government’s image. Did Ms Swaraj facilitate Mr lalit ModiIJ No, she did not. At best, she was taken for a ride by a person who was close to her family.
If one knows how the UK Government functions, a telephonic clarification to a UK parliamentarian would not be enough to resolve the issue, unless the clarification comes in writing. The UK Home Department could have sought a written clarification. But it did not. This means the decision to allow Mr lalit Modi to travel was already taken.
The UK Government’s only worry was the decision’s impact on bilateral relations with India. Mr lalit Modi was not an absconder. How could a UK decision on him adversely impact bilateral tiesIJ
If recommendations of Indian parliamentarians are studied, one will be surprised to find that thousands of people come for various recommendations, hoping to jump the queue and/or seek favours. If you think critically, none of these favours should be given because they all come at some cost (no matter how small).
Just because Mr lalit Modi was close to the Swaraj family does not mean that he should have been denied a little courtesy when he approached the Minister on humanitarian grounds. The entire country will like to hear Ms Swaraj’s side of the story. Why is the Congress preventing thatIJ
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who has excelled in showing tendencies of being a maverick, went to the extent of describing Ms Swaraj’s act as criminal. He was wrongly briefed by his legal luminaries. None told him that Mr lalit Modi had not been declared an absconder. Notices were issued against Mr Modi under the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Also, there was no pecuniary benefits that Mr lalit Modi gained from a one line telephonic clarification by Ms Swaraj.
The BJP’s detractors often point out that the party did not allow Parliament to function when the 2G spectrum scam and coal scam erupted. They ask: Why should the BJP now feel bad that it is being paid back in its own coinIJ To compare the two issues is a travesty of justice.
The two cases are different. No act of corruption, either moral or financial, is involved in Ms Swaraj’s case. There is no favouritism or conflict of interest.The 2G and coal scams on the other hand were some of the biggest corruption scandals in indepenent India, with losses running into crores of rupees.
The Congress is caught in a bind after taking its agitation to a crescendo. It did not respond to the Government’s proposal for a talk, so even a face-saver is missing. The Gurdaspur attack gave it an excuse to return to Parliament, but even that was wasted.
(The writer is a senior journalist, president of Debating India Foundation and member of the BJP’s national media team)