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Monsoon Slugfest: The Sushma-Rahul Parliament Battle Where Only The Indian Voter Lost
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By Abhishek Jha:
A day after Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked the Lok Sabha TV to “show all of them on TV“, the Congress continued its sloganeering in the parliament even as Sushma Swaraj claimed innocence in the Lalit Modi scandal. Responding to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s questions in the adjournment motion debate, the Minister of External Affairs said that her husband “was not Lalit Modi’s lawyer in the passport case” and that her daughter “was the ninth junior counsel accompanying the senior to the court“.
While the minister had already offered an explanation on the 6th of August, this time she used the opportunity to target the Congress and remind the parliament of instances when the Gandhi family had extended help to alleged criminals. Taking a jibe at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, she asked him to learn his family history and ask Sonia Gandhi, “Mama, how much money was taken from Quattrocchi?” And “why did daddy allow the release of the killer of 15,000 people?” She was referring to the Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, who had criminal charges against him relating to the Bofors scam, and Warren Anderson, who headed Union Carbide at the time of the Bhopal gas tragedy.
If speeches are anything to go by, the parliament was a great spectacle on Wednesday and supporters of both the leading national parties must feel greatly satisfied. Sonia Gandhi was congratulated by her party members for entering the well and Rahul Gandhi, too, gave a high-spirited speech in response to Sushma Swaraj. It is perhaps a result of these spectacles that only these two parties have headed the country. But if it is statecraft that must be lauded, then would it be any different if we were still being ruled by the British? They ruled us for a period far longer than any of these parties and have never since taken any cognizance of their atrocities.
The standard solution employed by our elected representatives in response to any allegation is to throw another allegation at their opponents. By doing this, they effect an equality of sorts that protects them from any electoral losses they might suffer due to the allegations. When the voters choose between the two, they find both the parties equally corrupt and, therefore, have no option but to discount corruption as an agenda. Thus, the Congress gloating over its successful campaign and the BJP’s self-approbation on Sushma’s speech is nothing but a mockery of the Indian voter.
However, the silver lining here is precisely that the cloud is becoming darker. It can be seen in the manner in which Sushma Swaraj talked about the Bhopal Gas tragedy. She drew the attention of the speaker, for she belongs to Madhya Pradesh and Swaraj hoped that the people of the state would sympathise with her, only to go on and show that she was only interested in making a point in the debate. “15000 people died“, she said, and then asked, “how many?“, and her enthusiastic supporters repeated after her “15000“. When dead people, irrespective of who ruled over them, become a mere statistic, it is time that we think of an alternative, rather than leave the country’s reigns to Bharat bhagyavidhata- the dispenser of India’s destiny.
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ItsJustMe
The article points us to a very relevant problem with our politicians being politicians and not parliamentarians within the parliament. It is devastating for the governing process and interests of the voters. But this particular rally was started off by congress.
Foreign affairs minister did respond to their questions and she had every right to ask about Lalit Modi getting UK citizenship when congress was in power. How come Quattrocchi escaped without punishment and the government failed to extradite him for the the crime of killing 15000 people.
A few years back 2 Italian sailors were extradited from Italy and they are serving their sentences in a Kerala jail for killing a fisherman by mistake. But Quattrocchi some how cannot be extradited despite him being responsible for the gas leak that killed a whole town of people. Do not tell me there is no money and corruption in this deal.
Going further into Gandhi family, the whole dynasty stinks of corrupt money made off of the poor in India. Sonia Gandhi, a waitress in a restaurant in Italy became the leader of the largest political party in India with little to no political involvement in her career anytime before that instance. Typical dynasty politics played by filthy rich who had decades long tie ups with Gandhi family and wanted to make sure their interests are protected in the future as well. They manipulated the top level of Congress to accept Sonia as their leader. Then her son, coincidentally comes into politics and becomes the Prime Ministerial candidate. A young man born to one of the richest families in India with little to no involvement in administration or governance, has not even been a minister at state level vs a self made man who served in tea stalls to support himself with a proven track record of development and leading a state to riches as a chief minister (It was mostly propaganda and he was as much responsible for the Gujarat riots as the goons who burned the innocents, but he successfully got himself out of that puddle of mud), it was quite clear who the Indian voters will choose. It was very obvious that Rahul Gandhi would loose badly. Despite that, no one within congress pointed out to them that he is not our prime ministerial candidate, there are senior leaders who can contest, who if not win the election will bring in enough votes for us to be part of the coalition.
Going further back in time, how did Indira Gandhi do as a Prime Minister, freaking great as per the Indian history books. Only problem I have with her is her decision to use India military to commit genocide of Sikhs, the state of emergency declared against the communist movements in Kerala and West Bengal. Ruling with an iron fist a totalitarian and ruthless leader who had no experience in Governance or Politics before she became Prime Minister of the largest democracy in the world.
Are we fucking dumb not to have the entire Gandhi family charged with treason and throw them in jail. Do we still need to have these traitors in our Parliament, influencing every single law and policy to benefit their corporate bosses. I am glad Indira was assassinated by her own bodyguards. If not we would have been living in a country like North Korea