Rahul Gandhi packs a punch in Parliament, surprised govt limits counter attack to facts

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi has finally spoken in the 16th Lok Sabha. He spoke during a discussion on the agrarian crisis in the country. This is his first speech in Parliament as an opposition leader, third in his 11-year parliamentary career. [caption id=“attachment_2204386” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Congress president Rahul Gandhi. PTI[/caption] His other two speeches were made during UPA regime. First was in UPA-1, 14th Lok Sabha when he made famous Kalawati reference and second was in UPA 2, 15th Lok Sabha when he spoke during prolonged Lokpal debate. Since his oral interventions in Parliament have been so rare that his decision to speak today became event of the day. In 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. But Monday, first day of 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 a self proclaimed introspection, Rahul appeared to be fully charged up to take on 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 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 it is high on agenda of the national media, the proceedings would be televised live on most channels and grab prominence in newspapers a day later. Two of its ministers who responded, Parliamentary Affairs minister Venkaih Naidu and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh 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 and welcome that Rahulji spoke on this subject and on behalf of the people of the nation I welcome him on his return to 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: “aapki 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 government. And your Prime Minister..). On interruptions from BJP benches he corrected, “Achha 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 and snatching their lands because he wanted to repay the obligations of his corporate friends incurred via funding by offering them land. The parliamentary affairs 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 may 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 Parliament and one inside he has somewhat succeeded in making the debate on his outing abroad relegate to relative oblivion.