Cong flaunts RTI, throws weight behind FDI, Lokpal at rally

3:35pm: Opposition rubbishes ‘show of strength’ While no one was as imaginative in their rebuttal of the Congress rally as Baba Ramdev who said that the Congress is doing a ‘Ravanlila’ at the Ramlila Maidan, BJP leader Arun Jaitley called the rally ‘anti-people’. “They rationalised hike in diesel prices, they justified hike in LPG prices. This rally was intended to rationalise anti-people policies,” he said. The CPI(M), every TV channel’s go-to party, for anti-government, anti-Oppostion quotes alike, said that instead of justifying its policies by themselves, the Congress should table its reforms in the Parliament and pass them as Bills after voting by the members. “That is a proper way of bringing in reforms. Let the Parliament debate the reforms as pass them if necessary,” said Prakash Karat of the CPI(M). 1.05pm: Three cheers to Jai Hind! Don’t quite get why Shashi Tharoor is excited about this bit of the speech, but Sonia put her best foot forward in Opposition-mincing, followed closely by son Rahul. Together they made up for Manmohan Singh’s seeming lack of oratory skills. However, Tharoor seemed more taken up by the conclusion of the speech.

  12:51pm: Like son, like mother! The zing seems to be back in the rally after Manmohan Singh’s speech reaches a stuttering end and Sonia Gandhi takes over. We get where Rahul’s speech training comes from now! She puts the rally’s pace on acceleration mode again as she slams the Opposition for disrupting the functioning of ‘democracy’ and accuses them of trying weaken the roots of the government. “We won’t let them do that. They are obstructing the process because they are themselves guilty of corruption and fear being exposed,” declares Sonia. Unlike Rahul, who shared his ‘dil ki baat’ by saying that he has now gained ‘some understanding’ of how the system and politics in India works, his mother goes all out claiming insider knowledge into the Opposition’s motives - a seasoned political dialogue. “We are the ones who got RTI into implementation. We introduced it so that the whole system becomes answerable to the common man. We have given the common man the greatest weapon he can have against corruption. Why will we indulge in corruption, indulge in scams or even have to defend our party and its leaders. No one found guilty for corruption will be spared.” she announces. She also alleged that the Opposition is trying to misinform people about the government’s reforms. Someone needs to tell her that they might just be absolutely successful, given that no one has the patience needed to sit through the PM’s explanation of the same! “We don’t need to be scared of anyone. We will do our work to bring revolution in politics and society,” she urges her party workers. 12:51pm: Now Sonia trumpets the Congress is with the aam aadmi slogan There’s little doubt about the fact anymore, that this rally at Ramlila - the same venue which has played host to unabashed Congress beating in the recent times - is not primarily about refuting allegations. It is more about telling the aam aadmi that the party is still with them - an idea being contested and trashed routinely by the Oppostion. 12:45pm: ‘Money doesn’t grown on trees’ rehashed at rally For all we know, you have either switched on something else on TV ever since the PM took over, but like we predicted and Rahul Gandi declared, Manmohan Singh’s address is a rehashed version of his ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ speech. Like a good economics teacher, the PM explains how it is important to allow several forms of foreign investment - to facilitate economic progress, and battle unemployment. “It is important to bring in foreign investment to battle the challenges our economy is facing. If we have to make certain changes to our policies for the long term benefit of people, the Congress will do that. WE are trying to make people realise that the decisions we have taken are meant to work for the benefit of the aam aadmi,” he says. However, following is what is keeping the on-the-verge-of-dozing off crowd at Ramlila Maidan awake and alive:

  12:40pm: People are spreading rumours about us, says PM In a radical change of tone, a spewing-fire Rahul Gandhi lets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh take over. From the silver-screen-worthy oratory of Gandhi, the mood mellows significantly as the PM reads out from his speech, in his trademark tepid, will-burst-out-crying-right-now tone! His address itself sounds uncannily similar to his ‘money doesn’t grown on trees’ speech that was beamed on TV channels post the FDI in multi-brand retail decision. Read that speech here . He talks again about how the FDI will benefit the farmers, rattles out several numbers waxing eloquent about how poor-friendly the UPA is. He talks about electricity in villages, policies for farmers etc - textbook political rally stuff complete with information about schemes for poor children and young mothers. #Yawn. 12:20pm: ‘Congress will change the system, no one else can’ In an amusing change of stance, Congress and Rahul Gandhi decides to take on the persona of a zestful, one-ideal-a-second college party leader. Maybe he takes his role as a ‘youth leader’ a little too literally! And like we have heard several angst-ridden, angry-at-the-world rookie politicians do at university elections, Rahul Gandhi loudly denounces the ‘system’. Wonder how the ‘system’ is the real villain? Go back to your Hindi film dialogue vocabulary, you’ll be reminded how politicians galore have blamed the ‘system’ for anything and everything. It’s another thing that the ‘system’ is a political slang for government machinery itself, no one spares the ‘system’ while trying to save their own backs. Rahul too does the same. “When you go to the government office and you’re turned away and can’t get your work done, we know how you feel hit by the system. The opposition can only scream and shout, can oppose, only we can change the system! Only Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi can show way to development, no one else can!” roars the junior Gandhi. “We will pass the Lokpal Bill, wait and watch.” Oops! Anna Hazare, are you listening in? Impressed? Yes. Very Bollywood, thank you! 12:20pm: Rahul reminds India of the Congress government’s ‘gifts’ for the aam aadmi There’s little doubt about the Congress’ Achilles’ heel now - its connect with the aam aadmi. Cornered for being insensitive to the needs of the masses - thanks to its decision to bring in FDI in retail, increase petrol prices etc - Rahul Gandhi sets the tune of the rally, with uncharacteristic zest, by defending the party’s relationship with the ‘aam aadmi’. “We have brought in the RTI so that the aad aadmi can battle the ‘system’. We have reached out to the farmers to the poor, but the Opposition will not acknowledge,” says Gandhi. 12:05pm: Sonia Gandhi arrives at the venue with Rahul and Manmohan Singh in tow The crowd has had its share of waiting it seems. The Prime Minister follows party supremo Sonia Gandhi and son to the dais. Though one is tempted to question why Sheila Dikshit greets the Congress troika with flowers and garlands, as if they’re here for a shop opening, one has to keep in mind, this is supposed to be one grand political blow-your-own-trumpet! 11.50 am: Will this rally be the great Congress comeback? The Congress story, around now, has started sounding a bit like those opulent Hollywood biopics, where the party and its present torchbearers have more than just a legacy to shoulder. From ghosts of the past to a gaggle of adversaries shoving them hard to what looks like an impending fall, the Congress needs no less than a miracle to get its act back together while nursing the wounds inflicted by corruption charges, allegations of inefficiency in salvaging the economy and truant allies. [caption id=“attachment_513837” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Reuters.[/caption] Today’s rally at the Ramlila Maidan, after a much hyped cabinet reshuffle has been touted as a morale booster, an attempt to be heard over the chaos raked by the opposition and maybe a direct, last ditch attempt to convince its electorate that all’s well in their front. However, this won’t be an easy ride. After Subramanian Swamy accused Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi of taking over assets worth rs 16,000 crore belonging to the party’s defunct mouthpiece The National Herald, and Congress spokesperson Janardan Dwivedi had to come out in defence admitting that the publishing company was given a loan of Rs 90 lakh without interest for its revival, Robert Vadra and Salman Khurshid now seem like they were warm-up casualties before the real show.  A ‘silence speaks more than words’ defence, evidently, won’t do anymore. Firstpost editor Sanjay Singh notes: “However, it is anybody’s guess whether Sonia and Rahul will talk about the need for economic reform or merely take on the opposition—mainly the BJP—on the rhetoric of corruption. There is a growing feeling in the party that it needs to take some populist measures to correct the impression that it is more concerned with the welfare of the few and neglecting its aam aadmi poll plank.” Shashi Tharoor, seems to have gotten his finger on the Congress nerve right when he says that the Congress is ready to ‘fight back’. Here’s his tweet: