By M. P. Joseph IAS (R)
Rahul Gandhi was at his brilliant best this afternoon while attacking Modi and his BJP during the debate on the no confidence motion in Parliament.
Rahul’s address in the Lok Sabha showed that he has grown into a brilliant orator, equally facile in Hindi as with English and – I say would dare say – with far greater oratory skills than either Rajiv or Indira or even Jawaharlal Nehru. With consummate voice modulations, evocative gestures, pregnant pauses and decisive confident looks his speech was exceptionally hard hitting.
As an orator Rahul has become many many shades better than Modi. Rahul tore into the Modi’s government today like a hot knife into butter. Rahul alleged that Modi had enabled a prominent industrialist to make huge sums of money – Rs. 45,000 crores to be specific – in the Rafael deal. Taking the contract away from the
public-sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and giving it to a private entrepreneur who had never built an aircraft in his life, had only benefitted Modi’s friend and Amit Shah’s son.
Rahul was magnificent at extemporising. With Modi unable to meet Rahul’s accusations, and constantly looking away from Rahul during his speech, Rahul moved away from his script and poking fun of Modi pointed out to Parliament and the Nation that Prime Minister Modi was unable to look him in the eye because the allegations he was making were true.
Modi then made a feeble attempt to look Rahul in the eye. And extemporising again Rahul said that the country and the world had already caught and seen on TV how Modi was unable to look him in the eye. Meaning thereby that any attempt now to look at him would not help Modi.
And indeed, even thereafter Modi was unable to look at Rahul in the eye. After the Lok Sabha recommenced after having been adjourned for a few minutes, Rahul continued his attack on Modi. Now he had a new weapon, again unscripted. He began the resumed session saying that during the break many Congress MPs had met him and congratulated him on his speech. But what was extra-ordinary was that many BJP MPs had also congratulated him during the short break for attacking Modi and Shah.
Rahul then went on to address the issue of the declining plight of women in India today. In its long history – Rahul said – India had always respected and protected its women. But under Modi’s four year rule, women were being gang-raped with impunity all over the country. Women in India had never to face this sort of a situation ever before in its long history. Such thigs were happening for the first time under Modi.
Rahul also came out in support of our toiling farmers. He said that while big industrialists were given waivers of huge loans running to many lakhs of crores of Rupees, the BJP Finance Minister was repeatedly turning down every proposal for waivers of small loans to our poor farmers.
And finally, in the best of possible parliamentary manners, after he completed his speech Rahul went across to where Modi was seated and shook hands with Modi and embraced him, saying that is the Indian and Congress tradition.
Like a sullen player who knows that he has lost the war, Modi refused to even stand up to receive that handshake and embrace.
What a Guy, Rahul Gandhi…..
