Has he gone too far this time, and what can the government do about it
KS Muralidharan
A run-of-the-mill politician has the “conventional” license to lie on his stump speech, so as to woo the voters by hook or crook. Even the best of the leaders are seen to do so, and people digest them, with or without a pinch of salt, and in their innocence or otherwise, according to their own persuasion. But a leader of the opposition lying brazenly, in his debut speech in Parliament is the lowest depth that we have seen in India’s parliamentary history.
And true to form, Rahul Gandhi, the scion turned “lion” for his faithfuls in the Congress party, has yet again ploughed a new low, even by his own standards.
The Gandhis’ high-flying journalistic friends in the liberal media who faithfully lend him cover fire each time he is caught napping or yapping, will find it embarrassing to do so this time. They may yet peddle his latest gaffe by pretending to discern a higher and hidden meaning in his statement, but all you need to do is to playback what Rahul said, with a new-found flourish and a thinly disguised relish.
“…Those who call themselves Hindus commit violence, violence, violence, and spread hatred, hatred, hatred…” So spoke Rahul Gandhi, after speaking approvingly of other religions. The juxtaposition of the two conflicting and uncouth appraisal bared his hatred, openly and beyond an iota of a doubt for the Hindus — and only for the Hindus.
While the TV media made its predictable song & dance over the issue mirroring its well-rehearsed fury, the sober print media did the expected: Cover it as a news with an eloquent editorial silence. Would the response have been the same if the hurt was on the minorities, and not the Hindus? Blood would have been spilled on the edit page.
But did he even care to defend?
Of course, Rahul can defend himself — but he hasn’t even bothered to do this — relying on the unique peculiarities of the English language. The phrase used by Rahul Gandhi, Those who call themselves Hindus, can be sliced and diced to twist its meaning by taking shelter under the context in which it was said. Even so, it definitely is a lame excuse, for one who is part of an English-speaking elite.
It is a telling commentary on the rules governing the functioning of our Parliament that a MP, a leader of the opposition equal to cabinet rank, and a top leader of the biggest party in the opposition and the oldest party in India, can lie without fear — ironically echoing his own declarations of daro mat (fear not. Case in point: His accusation on the Agnipath scheme that no money is paid to the martyrs or the retirees by the military. This is not a piddling issue. It can damage the morale of the military. And Parliament can do nothing to stop such anti-national behaviour from our elected MPs?
A lot of the Hindutva warriors in the social media are predictably fuming over Rahul Gandhi and the Congress. But is there anything new in this?
Rahul Gandhi has hardly ever said anything favourable about the Hindus, as can be seen from his eloquent silence on issues that matter the most to the majority community — Ayodhya, Gyanvapi, conversion, etc. If at all, he has merrily taken an adverse position on these issues and dared to hurt the Hindu cause and the sentiments of crores of Indians.
Insurance cover: Of, By and Against Hindus!
The insurance that all the so-called secular politicians enjoy against such brazen hatred towards the Hindus — over 80% of Indians — is, not surprisingly, underwritten by the Hindus themselves in the form of their caste subscriptions. Something like an insurance cover of and by the Hindus but against their own people!
Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, like other secular and caste-based political parties know that you can get away saying the most unspeakable things against Hindus because the Hindus either don’t care or choose to respond or are more loyal to their caste rather than their larger identity as a Hindu.
Ever heard Rahul Gandhi dare to say something similarly sinister against a particular caste? There will be a swift and even more likely a violent response.
But rubbish the Hindus and the response will be more likely akin to the silence of the lambs.
Plus, there is always THAT incentive to spew hatred on the Hindu: A dog-whistle to your minority vote-bank.
Since assembly elections are due in many crucial states in a few months like Maharashtra, Jharkand, Haryana, and J&K where Congress fancies its chances to upset the BJP, Rahul Gandhi may have seen electoral merit in rubbing the Hindus the wrong way and thus keeping his minority votes intact.
Time for the Govt to dig out the dirt
Now that anything is forgivable and doable when it comes to hurting the Hindus, in so far as the Congress and the secular parties are concerned, the time has come to rein in this thug behaviour gone rogue. Since there is no hope in hell to expect a response from the majority community going by past anecdotal evidence, the Modi government must use its clout in Parliament to punish such behaviour. Merely suspending a MP is not enough. He should be debarred from taking part in any legislation or parliamentary duties for his entire tenure, excepting for allowing his right to vote on parliamentary legislation.
As for the Hindus, the least that is expected of them is to help mobilise all Hindu organisations to clamp an unofficial boycott of Rahul Gandhi till he offers an unqualified public apology. Otherwise, they will not just be a silent spectator to minority appeasement and majority hurt, but a tacit participant in this wanton, brazen, uncalled for public humiliation of a people, whose historic identify is to live and let live — the exact opposite of what Rahul hurled at them.
In fact, it would be wonderful to see the true leaders of the minority community to stand up and oppose such needless and silly minority appeasement and come out in support of the Hindus. When Hindus can champion causes that are dear to the minorities (Haj subsidy, RTE, etc.), why should a reverse scenario be absurd?
But of course. They will not. Because the worthies in the minority community don’t even dare to speak out against their own fundamentalists. To expect them to do so, and speak up for their self-orphaned Hindu brothers, is akin to a twice-granted boon.
This battle is for the Hindus to take up at the individual level and for the BJP to take up at the government level. And they can do so, by forcing Rahul Gandhi to pay for his sins. For instance, the government can dig deeper into Rahul Gandhi’s own antecedents. There are questions raised about his having multiple citizenships. It is also reasonable to ask how the son of a Christian mother and a father born to a Parsi, can claim to be a Janeudhari Brahmin. True, the Gandhis have always claimed to be Kashmiri Brahmins, but ..are they really? There is more to it than meets the eye. What is visible to the naked eye is the visible discomfort or ignorance of the most basic customs in Rahul Gandhi during his obviously fake temple tours. Surely, there is no Hindu of any caste or persuasion, who does not know how to even sport a kumkum on his forehead, or how to pray in a temple? The truth is blowing in the wind. It is for the government to uncover it and deliver a kind of redemption-on-the-rebound for the hurt Hindu.