Under attack

 Proving that he is undoubtedly a hard-boiled politician with unmatched oratorical skills who would stun opponents and force them to grope for responses, prime minister Narendra Modi has been returning his compliments to the Gandhis in Parliament on every occasion. The Gandhis- Rahul in particular- had fired all his ammunition at Modi particularly during the recent Lok Sabha campaign. Rahul had been reacting to Modi’s jibe against the Gandhis in his campaign speeches. However, after the demoralising defeat in both the 2014 and the icing in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Modi seems to be having the last laugh. Not a day passes by in parliament without Modi taking a jibe at the Gandhis, much to the discomfiture of both Sonia and Rahul. Unfortunately, added to the woeful humiliation, the Gandhis lack the oratorical skills of Modi to hit back. Taking a jibe at the Gandhis, Modi slammed them that they ought to accept defeat with humility and not argue that if Congress lost, the India has lost. Modi has been hitting back at the Congress for opposing some of his government’s decision like NRC . He mocked the Congress party for overlooking Rajiv Gandhi’s acceptance of the NRC in the Assam Accord. He also raked up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots by saying that “People accused of murder in 1984 are today big leaders in the Congress party.” He also did not spare the Indira Gandhi Congress government for imposing emergency which he said, crushed India’s soul. Modi also hit out at India’s first prime minister and the father of Indira and grandfather of Rahul for failing to resolve the Kashmir issue. He could not resist the jibe that Nehru did not solve the Kashmir issue and that had Sardar Patel been prime minister, the Kashmir issue would have been solved. Modi’s attacks on the Gandhis both in or out of parliament has an explanation. The vow for a Congress-free India continues and Modi is only pursuing the agenda. With Congress in a quandary over Rahul’s resignation and with party rank and file feeling rudderless, Modi perhaps sensed that and appears determined to deliver the coup de grâce to a wounded foe. The Gandhis are no doubt on Modi’s hit list because once he incapacitates them, then the Congress would be vulnerable. Even as Modi and his party leaders are going hammer and tongs at the Gandhis and the Congress, several Congress leaders including elected members are deserting the grand old party as they feel, there is no future. Even the new Congress Parliamentary Party leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury failed to inspire his party in parliament. This has further added to the gloom within the party after the erudite orator and MP from Thiruvananthapuram Sashi Tharoor’s willingness to be CPP leader was overlooked. That itself revealed the thinking within the Gandhis and their loyalists who do not want a strong leader who could pose future challenge to the Rahul the heir apparent who has proved he has not reached the desired level to lead India’s oldest party. Under attack from outside and within, the Gandhis will be at sea on how to salvage, least being to inspire the grand old party in the coming days.