Rahul's Parliament speech charges up Congress ranks in LS, govt rebuts with facts

Rahul Gandhi has finally spoken in 16th Lok Sabha. He spoke during a discussion on Agrarian crisis in the country. This is his first speech in the Parliament from the opposition benches, third in his 11-year parliamentary career. His other two speeches were made during UPA regime. First was in UPA I, 14th Lok Sabha, when he made the famous Kalawati reference and second was in UPA II, 15th Lok Sabha when he spoke during prolonged Lokpal debate. Since his oral interventions in Parliament have been so rare, his decision to speak on Monday became the event of the day. In the 16th Lok Sabha, Rahul was so far better known for being caught in camera snoozing during a debate on price rise and in last session asking his party MPs to troop into well of the House to protest. [caption id=“attachment_2204356” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Rahul Gandhi speaks in the Lok Sabha on Monday. PTI[/caption] But Monday, first day of the second half of the budget session, seemed to be a different day for him. After his two month long leave of absence to Thailand and perhaps to some other places abroad for introspection as he had put it, Rahul appeared to be fully charged up to take on the Modi government. “Achhe din Sarkar has failed the country”, Rahul thundered. Rahul’s first speech in the 16th Lok Sabha, one year after its assembly, did help to raise the level of response from the government. But for his intervention, this debate, which had been continuing since the first half of the budget session would otherwise have passed off un-noticed. The government too was aware that since Rahul was speaking on the subject, that too when he was high on agenda of the national media, the proceedings would be televised live on most channels and would grab prominence in newspapers a day later, two of its ministers who responded, Parliamentary Affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu and Radha Mohan Singh had had come fully prepared to make a sound rebuttal. Interestingly, before Venkaiah rose to respond, he directed all members of ruling BJP to respect Rahul’s democratic right as a member to speak whatever he wished under parliamentary norms and quietly listen to him. Both the ministers held their ground and challenged Rahul on facts but for some strategic reasons they restricted themselves only to the rebutting him on facts and not making a political counter. They perhaps didn’t want to make it acrimonious. Their jibes were at best mild. “I am grateful that Rahulji spoke on this subject and on behalf of the people of the nation I welcome him on his return to the Parliament after a long foreign trip”, Radha Mohan Singh said in the beginning of his concluding response. Or “I can’t help if Scindiaji and Rahulji didn’t understand but I am sure rest of the House has understood”, Singh later said while explaining how compensation package to the rain affected farmers was being offered by the government. Though better part of Rahul’s speech was broadly similar to what he had spoken a day earlier at Kisan Khet Majdoor rally, organised by the Congress party but then he appeared to be in better command of the words that he spoke. He didn’t stress so much on the facts but kept it high on political rhetoric, something that could make easy headlines: “apki sarkar udyogpati, corporate, bade logon aur suit, boot ki sarkar hai. Aapke jo Pradhan Mantri Hai… ( your government is government of industrialists, of corporate, of higher strata of society and is a suit, boot sarkar. And your Prime Minister..). On interruptions from BJP benches he corrected, “Acha Desh Ke Pradhan Mantri (ok Prime Minister of the nation).” “The Prime Minister knows political calculations but one question keeps on coming to me, when 60 percent of the population constitute of farmers and labourers why is he neglecting them. Agricultural scientist Swaminathan had said future will belong to the grain not guns,” Rahul said. He then added that Modi was weakening farmers on all fronts because he wanted to repay the obligations of his corporate friends incurred via funding by offering them land. The parliamentary affair minister countered saying that Swaminathan committee was formed in 2004 and its report was submitted in 2006, But then UPA government sat over it for eight years, till it exited from government in 2014. The NDA government was now working over its recommendations. Rahul may or not be strong on facts but his rather aggressive pitching in Parliament has surely charged up Congress’ ranks. By making two public speeches in two days, one outside of Parliament and one inside Parliament, he has somewhat succeeded in making debate on his abroad outing relegate to relative oblivion.