NEW DELHI:
Congress president
Rahul Gandhi went into the
Lok Sabha all guns blazing, tore into the government, accused the BJP and PM Narendra Modi of lying and 'jumlas', and at the end of 20-plus minutes of harangue - proceeded to hug the PM.
As a stunned Lok Sabha looked on, Rahul walked toward the PM and gave him a big, big bear hug. All a nonplussed Modi could do, at first, was hug him back, nonplussed. Then, he recovered, called the
Congress president toward him and patted him on the back.
Prior to that hug though, the Congress president recited a litany of what he believed are the BJP-led NDA government's crimes and misdemeanours.
He attacked the Centre on the Rafale deal - "Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman lied".
He lambasted Modi on demonetisation: "He has no space in his heart for the poor - at all".
He slammed the PM on corruption and his claim of being India's 'chowkidar', saying he favours a small group of industrialists: "Everybody understands and sees the amount of money which goes into the marketing of the Prime Minister of India (by these industrialists)...I can see the gentleman (Modi) smiling (as I say this) but there's a touch of nervousness there and he's looking away from me...he can't look me in the eye."
He blasted the PM for what he said is his poor record on employment: "China 50, 000 yuvaon ko 24 ghante mein rozgar deta hai, aap(Govt) log 24 ghante mein 400 yuvaon ko rozgaar dete ho: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha. (China gives employment to 50,000 young people in the span of 24 hours, here a mere 400 youths get a job in that anount of time)."
And he raked the government over the coals for ceding ground to China: "He hops on a swing with the Chinese President on the banks of the Godavari even as the latter sends Chinese soldiers into Indian territory."
Again, on China: "The PM goes to China saying there's 'no agenda' and tells the Chinese President 'we won't talk about Doklam'. This wasn't a 'no agenda' meeting it was a Chinese agenda meeting."
During the course of his 19-odd minute speech he mentioned the BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah - alleging he's corrupt - and the house's BJP MPs erupted in anger. Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan had to step in to say ''No taking names, please''.
While Rahul talked about the Rafale deal and repeatedly said that defence minister Sitharaman lied, she could be seen standing and raising her hands and angrily gesticulating, as she tried to defend herself.
At this point, Mahajan said that since the Congress president has accused Sitharaman so many times, she's going to give the minister time to rebut Rahul's allegations.
There was also a moment of levity when the Congress president's Hindi skills failed him. Through most of the speech, Modi could be seen either sitting impassively or smiling laconically, but he erupted into guffaws when Rahul said in Hindi that the PM couldn't look him in the eye. Unfortunately, the Hindi phrase he used - 'Pradhanmantri apni aankh meri aankh mein nahi daal sakte' - was incorrect.
At that point, Mahajan adjourned for a five-minute break, after which the Congress president began resuming his attack on the government, this time taking on the Centre for lynchings and blaming it for polarising the country. He said the BJP is constantly undermining the Constitution.
"When your minister talks of changing the Constitution then its an attack on Ambedkar ji and an attack on India," he said.
The Congress president also accused the government of shunning minorities and insulting him by attempting to teach him Hinduism.
"You taught me what a real Hindu is, what being a 'Shiv Bhakt' means, and I thank you for that," he said, in none too dulcet tones.
Then he disparaged himself further.
"Aap logon ke andar mere liye nafrat hai, aap mujhe Pappu aur bohot gaaliyan dekar bula sakte hain, lekin mere andar aapke liye nafrat nahi hai (You - BJP - have hate in your hearts for me, you called me 'Pappu' and use choice abuses against me, but in my heart I have no hate for you)," he said,
