The monsoon session of Parliament was a washout. More than 80 per cent of its time wasted by the opposition. Nearly Rs 142 crore from the public exchequer went waste. The government got its legislative business done sans any debate. Both Houses were supposed to work for 114 hours. In Lok Sabha, more than 96 hours were wasted due to pandemonium, while in Rajya Sabha 77 hours were wasted. It was all because of consistent protests by Opposition members in both Houses.
What happened during the last 20 days in Parliament was indeed shameful. It reached its nadir on the last day when Congress members displayed soft monkey toys and shouted offensive slogans against Modi, which were last heard at Jantar Mantar. If the opposition parties think that they have scored a big victory by stalling Parliament, they are mistaken. Whenever Parliament functions normally, it is the opposition, whose members gain. They can question and corner ministers. The opposition members can point out infirmities or discrepancies in bills brought by the government.
Just imagine: What did the government lose? It got its bills passed without a semblance of debate. Twelve bills were passed and ministers did not face uncomfortable questions. The losers were the opposition members. Question Hour is used by members from both sides to ask probing questions about their constituencies and states. In the process, they apply pressure on the ministers and get their work done. Ruling party members get work done in their constituencies because ministers belong to their party. But what will opposition members reply to their voters once they return? Every individual member of Parliament has this feeling. If opposition members think that they forced Amit Shah to stay away from replying inside the House, they are mistaken. Amit Shah threw an open challenge on the penultimate day of the session. He took the wind out of the sails of the opposition. To sum it up, I have a Hindi proverb ‘Maya Mili Na Ram’( you lost both ways). The opposition lost its plot by stalling Parliament.
Rahul Gandhi: Is his frustration becoming bitter?
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has a different view. He considers the stalling of Parliament as a big victory. At a Congress program, the Leader of Opposition said, he has “made life difficult for both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Both of them will spend sleepless nights till they lose their chair”. Rahul did a comedy skit on the dais by hugging Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. Rahul Gandhi said, Prime Minister Modi has this habit of hugging world leaders whenever he visits their countries. “Modi thinks that hugging is part of sound diplomacy”, he said.
Nobody is surprised when Rahul Gandhi makes fun of the Prime Minister. In the last 12 years, He had used epithets like “thief”, “coward”, “trembling” for Modi. He has now included Amit Shah in his list. Rahul Gandhi knows, both Modi and Amit Shah have an aura. He even suspects that some of his own party leaders fear both Modi and Shah. Rahul knows so long as Modi and Shah’s image among the people remain intact, he cannot harm them. Use of street-level, denigratory words for Modi and Shah, delivery of dialogues like “paagal kar doonga” is the result of such a mindset. The fact, however, is Modi’s popularity has defeated Rahul Gandhi thrice in Lok Sabha elections.
Today there are NDA governments in 22 states. Before every election, Rahul blusters, saying “Likh kar le lo, Is baar Modi Ko Harayenge” (Take it from me in writing, we will defeat Modi this time). And every time, the result is the opposite. This level of frustration has turned bitter. It is normal. In our country, the common man does not like leaders who use insulting words and abuses. This is the reason why BJP leaders say, the more bitter Rahul speaks, Modi is the beneficiary. Several BJP leaders told me personally that Rahul is the biggest friend, the best campaigner for the party. So long as the command of Congress party remains in the hands of Rahul Gandhi, BJP has nothing to worry.