Rahul mocks and slams PM Modi at a gathering of Indian dispora in San Francisco, US
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is at it again: he has lambasted and lampooned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on foreign soil. Addressing a gathering of Indian diaspora in San Francisco, US, he ridiculed Modi for having the pretensions of being omniscient. In fact, he mocked the top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party of being delusional about their knowledge: “some groups of India think that they know everything. Even if they have a conversation with God, they might explain to him.” He added, “Prime Minister is one of them.” Deriding BJP leaders, Rahul continued: “They can speak to scientists and explain science to them. They can explain history to historians, warfare to the army and flying to the air force. But at the heart of it, they don’t know anything.” Barbed sarcasm can be effective, but Rahul seems to be going too far. His claim that the “normal instruments for doing politics were not working anymore.” He also blamed the Modi Government for threatening people and deploying Central agencies against political opponents. The use of law enforcement bodies to harass the Opposition is old in India; the present dispensation is no exception. But should the underbelly of our country be put on showcase? There is much that is wrong with governance and other aspects of India, but a senior Opposition leader advertising that in the United States doesn’t make much sense. Rahul may succeed in scoring a few political points, but not without damage to India’s image in the world.
To that extent, the BJP’s sharp reaction to his remarks is justified. Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said, “During his foreign visits, Rahul Gandhi insults India, which is unacceptable. He wants to insult PM Modi but ends up insulting India, questioning India’s progress. He is trying to tarnish India at a time the world is acknowledging our growing stature.” Just as in Rahul’s comment, there is also an element of hyperbole in Thakur’s reaction too. Rahul’s remarks are bad for India’s image, but not an insult. Besides, Congress leaders are not the only ones who discuss domestic matters abroad; PM Modi has also criticised previous governments on foreign soil in the past. Indian politicians will do well by scaling down the ingredient of hyperbole in political debate. Gruesome murder of a minor girl in Delhi doesn’t mean that there is no fear of the police in the national capital; unjust arrest of a journalist doesn’t imply that the entire press has been gagged in the country; India leaving the UK behind in terms of GDP doesn’t mean that we have become a developed nation. Also, politicians should grow a thicker skin; every adverse comment their adversaries make against them shouldn’t become an excuse to indulge in rant and cant. And they should also ensure that domestic political disputes are not internationalised.