Jyoti Malhotra
For the last many years, the ruling BJP has been calling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ‘Pappu Pappu’, but now we have come to know that this Pappu has passed the people’s exam with good marks. Yes, it is true that there is nothing like the first class, flag hoisting or complete success like in the old days, because if it were so then in the recent elections Congress or ‘Bharat’ coalition government would have been formed. It is certain that this is making a difference to the 18th Lok Sabha and the rest of the country as well. In the first brief session of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, in his speech in which he cited leaders from Shiva to Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ, compared the spirit of Hinduism to the spirit of coercion and forceful Hindutva promoted by the BJP. For a long time, this type of speech was frowned upon in Parliament.
At the same time, Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra has decided to ‘new freedom from fear’ of Pablo Neruda and Punit Sharma (‘Who are you? / Ask me / My relationship with this country is a jewel’) and emphasized that It has become the new idiom of the country.
The big thing is that leaders like Chandrababu Naidu of TDP and Nitish Kumar of Janata Dal (U), who retained the post of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, did not take any decision. It seems like they don’t care. Naidu and Nitish (who is rumored to be suffering from medical problems) know well when to strike a hot iron; This means that now the time has come for us to provide special status to our respective states; Otherwise there is no problem in getting the maximum amount. Especially Naidu, who has given support of 16 MPs to NDA, is well aware of the new power he has got. He has been in many camps, so there is no hesitation in calling him a turncoat or a friend of Modi for his participation. Last Thursday, apart from the Prime Minister, he met six ministers in Delhi – Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Shivraj Chauhan, Manohar Lal Khattar and Hardeep Singh Puri.
It is not yet known how much money Naidu wants. Some people estimate it to be Rs 1 lakh crore and some others think it is half of that. Well, one thing is clear as glass that they will take whatever they want. According to this surrealist view, honestly speaking, the rousing speeches given by Rahul and Moitra in Parliament do not matter. The truth is that Modi 3.0 will remain in office only until Naidu is completely satisfied and by doing so it will be in Modi’s interest to keep Naidu’s state ‘happy’.
It is not that Delhi does not have money, it does have money, but behind it there are greedy bureaucrats who are used to giving full money. Both Modi and Naidu are aware of this. They have also not forgotten that Nitish can prove to be a more dangerous person at this time because elections are to be held in Bihar next year and they also know that in frustration a man can go to any extent including changing political parties. Therefore, it is fortunate for all stakeholders that the good performance of the Indian economy makes it one of the few bright spots in the world. However, it is a different matter whether Delhi’s surplus should be used just to wash the tears of the two states.
Then which side of Delhi is closer to the truth? The one who insists that India has changed because the BJP no longer has a majority but is now on the defensive and people will not give much credence to the majoritarian agenda of the ruling party? Or the side that believes that Parliament is merely an arena for debate while the real power lies outside it?
Of course, as always, India rejects either extreme and prefers to walk a middle path and embrace elements of both extremes. A month after the public ‘scrutinized’ the BJP and the Prime Minister, the message has clearly been sent that the government can no longer bully the powerful opposition.
Therefore, no matter how much stomach ache the BJP and the Speaker may have, they will have to listen to the 232 MPs of ‘Bharat’; Their numbers are close to BJP. Well, when Mahua was narrating the story of her eviction from the House, she was describing her plight as a woman who ‘has not only her chair, but also her womb.’ ‘We had to lose’, I don’t know whether Jagdambika Pal, the one-day Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who was holding the charge of the Speaker of the House at that time, would have understood this or not, but he did not want Mahua to speak. Gave full time of 28 minutes.
