When Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked back speech in parliament yesterday, it probably wouldn’t have filled him with pride. When the Prime Minister speaks, people expect a politician’s vision for the country; he is also expected to show a basic level of respect for all parties and MPs. In a parliamentary democracy, the Prime Minister is the leader of the House of Commons, not the leader of the party he represents. The opposition has the right to criticize him and, with him, the performance of his government. Both he and the government are accountable to parliament and the people through the Opposition’s questioning process. The opposition must also respect the rules, but the Prime Minister is held to a different standard and must not appear arrogant or obstinate in the face of criticism. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Modi’s speech broke all expectations. He lost his temper, his tone and tenor was “how dare you criticize me?” and he treats Congress or the Opposition like trash.
There is no denying the fact that Rahul Gandhi’s speech a few days earlier was very harsh. He called the Prime Minister a ‘king’ who did not believe in democracy. He also blamed him for undermining constitutional institutions such as the judiciary and the Election Commission. Mr. Modi has been criticized for disregarding diversity and fracturing the strong relationship between the Center and countries, which could lead to disastrous consequences. Rahul Gandhi was adamant that India could not be governed from the Center alone and that decision making had to involve the sensitivities of the nations. He reminded the Prime Minister that constitutionally, India is a union of nations, not a country as the BJP sees it. He touched on a rough relationship with the Prime Minister when he said that there are two types of India, one for the poor and one for the rich; In this context, he mentions Ambani and Adani and says that since Modi came to power, extreme capital centralization has become a reality.
Rahul Gandhi could have been more polite, but the Prime Minister’s reply with a coin is not what one would expect from the office. Modi is not known for sophistication. His attitude of not saving and not consoling all and little things is a hallmark of his character. Unlike his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi is not focused on the parliamentary tradition. He entered parliament for the first time in 2014 while Atal B Vajpayee built his political career by speaking in parliament and standing shoulder to shoulder with the greats of India’s parliamentary democracy. Vajpayee is a product of the Nehruvian era when the Opposition’s voice, despite being a small minority, was not only heard but respected, and it was believed that the Opposition was an integral part of the opposition. with the smooth functioning of the parliamentary system. Vajpayee can criticize Nehru harshly but can still steal Nehru’s affection.
Modi is a product of another era. He started his career as an RSS Practiceharak and as Minister he ruled the state with an iron fist; The opposition meant nothing to him on the Council. In his version of things, he is infallible, and he has the mindset that he should never be criticized – both within the party as well as outside. According to him. he is not wrong. He knows best what to do and no one should try to teach him how to run the country and how to behave himself. Rahul Gandhi’s speech was an attempt to break that image of the Prime Minister in the public eye. It was an attack on the core of who he was. It is too much for the Prime Minister to ignore. Before he spoke, it was expected that Rahul Gandhi would get a suitable answer but I did not expect such a personal answer. At first, the Prime Minister tried to appear sluggish, but he lost his temper when he was interrupted by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. That’s when he said he hasn’t taken any names yet, but now he will and calls the Congress name. This is the lowest point of his speech. One could see that he was seething with anger.
Modi is a politician who is always in electoral mode. He never left a chance to speak to voters. Elections in five states are underway and a vote for the first phase of UP will be held in the next few days. This is a great opportunity to speak to voters, knowing that the speech will be broadcast live nationwide. Therefore, it is not uncommon that during the Lok Sabha he spent more than 60% of his speech criticizing the Congress. He told voters that Congress was a dying party. And that has not benefited the states and the country, and that is why Congress has been wiped out in many states. But the speech also revealed that Modi feels that Congress is the only party that can truly challenge him at the Center. Despite Mamata Banerjee’s risky political statements about replacing the National Assembly and becoming the main anti-BJP front at the Center, Modi firmly believes that Congress should not be taken lightly; it should be brutally attacked, relentlessly discredited, and permanently removed from the Center and the states. It is no coincidence that, like in the Lok Sabha, in the Rajya Sabha, Parliament has a majority in Modi’s speech. But the ferocity with which he blames Congress for everything that is wrong with the country – dynastic politics, 84 riots, Emergency, poverty – reminds us of the method behind the thinking process. his thought.
Modi’s obsession with the Congress is not simply a reflection of his inner suffering or aversion to Congress or a sick hatred of the Nehru-Gandhi family, it is part of it. of a larger political strategy. Nalin Mehta in his book ‘new BJP’, produced very interesting data about the BJP’s relentless anti-Congressional action. He writes that the BJP in external communication – i.e. in speeches, articles and press releases – refers to the Congress the most. In fact, the word “Congress” topped the charts in 2019. Words like “Modi”, “BJP” and “development” lagged. Nalin Mehta writes, “This major shift in political communication began in 2016 when we began to see a significant increase in BJP congressional talk. Over the next three years, the BJP was evenly matched. steadily increasing the amount of anti-Congress talk and the 2019 general election, this talk has surpassed its media on all other issues.” He added, “As the main opponent on the ideology of Congress, it is only natural that the BJP has to talk too much about its opponent. Based on: comparing the BJP to the Congress.”
In my opinion, this ratio of the Prime Minister and his party will increase in the near future. Because with the growing opposition to the BJP at the Center and in the states, he will feel more vulnerable, and he will want the voters and citizens of the country not to forget the evils. of Congress and have confidence in his leadership. . One who expects the Prime Minister to set high standards for civil and polite debate and dialogue. It is not too much to ask for.
(Ashutosh is the author of ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and Editor, satyahindi.com.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.
