Rahul Gandhi, the former Congress president, has now evolved into the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. Responding to the President's address on Monday, Rahul Gandhi spoke like an experienced leader. For the first time since 2014, the Lok Sabha witnessed a scenario where the BJP appeared visibly uncomfortable facing Rahul Gandhi's speech. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood up twice to interject, as did Rajnath Singh, while the Home Minister Amit Shah got up at least four times. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan rose once. Rahul Gandhi continuously cornered the BJP. While it's true that Gandhi misled the house on several points, misleading narratives are now an antiquated fashion in Indian politics. Though it's a wrongful tradition, it has become accepted in politics.
1-Rahul Gandhi now excelling in the art of sarcasm
Ever since Narendra Modi arrived on the Indian political scene, sarcasm has become an essential element in the art of speeches, which the public seems to enjoy. Until now, Rahul Gandhi's speeches had been straightforward. However, today, he showed his mastery of sarcasm, providing a commendable performance.
Take this example: Rahul first quoted the Prime Minister saying, 'I have a direct connection with God.' Then, interrupted by the Speaker, Rahul responded, 'Sir, I respect the PM. But he himself said that he's not biological. It's not me saying it; the PM did. PM Modi received a direct message from above and then performed the demonetization. GST and demonetization were done to assist billionaires.'
Another instance is when Rahul used his biting wit saying, 'Income tax and ED are always after small business owners, clearing the path for billionaires. I was in Gujarat, where textile industry owners mentioned that GST was introduced to benefit the billionaires.' When someone quipped, 'Do you also visit Gujarat?', Rahul replied, 'I visit often. And take my word; we will defeat you in Gujarat this time.'
Yet another example is when Rahul Gandhi, attacking PM Modi, remarked that Modi scares even the BJP members—neither Rajnath nor Gadkari dares to greet him with a namaste. Previously, Rahul had indicated that both Rajnath Singh and Gadkari greet him with a smile and namaste.
Rahul spoke to the Speaker Om Birla saying, 'While shaking hands, you stand upright with me but bow to PM Modi.' Home Minister Amit Shah called it disrespect to the chair. Speaker Birla responded that it's customary to bow before seniors, and Rahul countered by saying 'You are the custodian of the house, and there's none above you here. The entire opposition will bow to you. The Speaker holds the highest authority in Lok Sabha.'
2-Even frequent interruptions by Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh proved ineffective
Rahul was aggressive in the Lok Sabha and the BJP continually tried to encircle him but to no avail. Rahul mentioned Modi's speech stating that 'India has never attacked anyone because it's a non-violent country, without fear.' He then drew a parallel, pointing out that the so-called Hindus of today are preaching 24/7 about violence and hatred, disqualifying them as true followers of Hinduism which advocates for truth and support.
This statement from Rahul at one point seemed like a trap the BJP could capitalize on. The ruling party members caused an uproar. PM Modi stood up, emphasizing the gravity of the statement: labeling the entire Hindu community as violent is serious. However, the issue didn't escalate as Rahul clarified that PM Modi and BJP do not represent the entire Hindu community. Amit Shah too stood, demanding an apology from the opposition leader. 'Millions of people proudly identify as Hindus,' Shah claimed, urging Gandhi to consult Islamic scholars about the concept of fearlessness in Islam.
Despite attempts by the BJP to twist his statement on issues like Agniveer and MSP, Rahul was not deterred. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh twice clarified the Agniveer scheme while Shivraj Singh Chouhan defended MSP-related policies.
3-Indifferent to truth or lies
Congress has realized post the 'Save Constitution' movement's support that victory is possible only by setting the narrative, regardless of truth or lies. It aptly explains Rahul's confidence in forming the narrative. Although his points about Agniveer and the farmers could be seen as baseless, it’s the confidence with which he presented his arguments that matters. A leader must convince the public of his credibility, whether truthful or not; hence, Rahul Gandhi's embodiment of an Indian leader is now complete. Perhaps that's why Home Minister Amit Shah has appealed to Speaker Om Bali to investigate the baseless statements.
4-Rahul was on the offensive from the start
Rahul Gandhi started offensively in his speech and before BJP could even respond to one attack, he'd launch another. He accused the BJP of intimidating the country's citizens and referred to all religions promoting love. He then targeted BJP's sensitive point: the Ayodhya defeat. Gandhi stated, 'Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, has sent the BJP a message.' He indicated a person sitting in the audience, saying, 'This message sits before you. While sipping coffee yesterday, I asked what happened. He replied, 'We knew from day one that we're going to win in Ayodhya.' An airport was built, land was confiscated, and the compensation is yet to be paid. Ayodhya's inauguration brought sorrow to the public. Ambani was there, Adani was there, but no one from Ayodhya.'
The debate wasn't over when Rahul shifted focus to the Agniveer scheme. He spoke about the martyrdom of an Agniveer, stating that PM Modi doesn't recognize them as martyrs and their families won't receive pensions. Only regular soldiers get pensions and government support. 'Agniveers are just expendable labor,' he declared. 'You create a rift between soldiers and then call yourself patriots. Look at the patriotic photo. I was thinking.'
Gandhi stated that for the first time, a state lost its status. 'Jammu & Kashmir was stripped of its statehood. You do not even acknowledge Manipur's existence. We appealed to the PM to save Manipur, but received no response.' He continued, 'When asked for a reply, none came.'
Discussing farmers, Rahul said, 'The land acquisition bill we made for fair compensation was overturned by you. Upon demands for evidence from the ruling party, Rahul replied he would provide authentication. 'You enacted three new laws to scare farmers, claiming it was for their benefit when in reality they advantaged Ambani-Adani. Farmers took to the streets. You don’t engage with them; you label them as terrorists. You claim they're all terrorists,' he concluded.
