By Sushil Kutty
Congress’ all-in-all Rahul Gandhi is no easy meat and from the looks of Rahul, the Leader of Opposition, in his trademark muscle-bound white t-shirt, is all grit, a tough cookie to boot. The treasury bench have tried every trick in the book but haven’t succeeded in taming Rahul Gandhi. If he wants to hug the Prime Minister, he doesn’t hesitate to cross to the other side.
Point is the treasury benches cannot get away with innuendos when dealing with Rahul Gandhi. The Congress’ virtual head is given a wide berth by his own party MPs. Every one of them maintains distance when he spreads an arm behind and takes in the proceedings with an eerie calm. It is a favour done, be grateful!
And Rahul Gandhi pops in and out of the news. His utterances cannot be ignored nor can they be dismissed. Rahul Gandhi’s latest statement is “Took oath inside Parliament” and therefore there’s no need for an affidavit like the “BJP’s client”, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is demanding. Rahul Gandhi’s refusal to EC’s “sign affidavit dare” makes a big difference.
The BJP and the Modi government do not know which side to turn to. Rahul Gandhi has in turn asked for “full e-voter data” and has reiterated his “vote theft” allegation against the BJP-EC combine, two sides of the same coin in Rahul !Gandhi’s book. Rahul has stopped carrying the copy of the Constitution but the Constitution remains the bedrock of his contentious contentions.
Rahul Gandhi doesn’t spare language when he takes on adversaries, both political and constitutional. While asking the Election Commission for the complete electronic voter list and video records, he didn’t smile for the cameras and his power-point-presentation was all about latent power as he claimed without proof that state election websites had been taken down after the “Congress expose of the EC-BJP collusion.”
As is his wont, Rahul Gandhi gave real-time threats to EC officials, promising them of “consequences” and charging them with attacking the Constitution. Rahul Gandhi’s strategy is acting tough. Incontrovertible truth will fetch the Congress “majority seats” and real pow1er will vest in the Gandhi family as has been tradition for over 50 years before the BJP “colluded with the Election Commission”.
LoP Rahul Gandhi has charged EC officials with high treason, betrayal of public trust and criminal collusion in addition to plotting to perpetuate rightwing rule led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS juggernaut. There is nothing the BJP-RSS combine can do except call a return press conference and gnash teeth, which is what BJP MP Sambit Patra did after Rahul Gandhi’s “atom-bomb” PPP.
Friday, Rahul Gandhi repeated his “vote theft” allegation at the Congress party’s ‘Vote Adhikar Rally’ in Bengaluru. “I have taken the oath inside the Parliament and on the constitution, and EC is asking me to take a oath on the vote theft,” he told the rally after Chief Electoral Officers of three states demanded he prove his allegations.
The Election Commission wants a “signed declaration” from the LoP for “necessary proceedings” to start. The Karnataka CEO was the harshest, stating “you had mentioned about the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls.” Karnataka is Congress-ruled and the Karnataka CEO was acting as if he hadn’t heard of Congress threats to EC officials.
The Congress is waiting for the day to come when the Election Commission will declare a Congress victory from Nirvachan Sadan. That Rahul Gandhi is confident the Congress will rule again is optimism and hubris. Congress will not be denied retribution nor Rahul Gandhi his family’s right to rule. Captive media hacks make fun, sure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has everything sewed up for 2047’s tryst with ‘Viksit Bharat’.
It will be a long winding road to a return to power for the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. There are charges of alleged wrongdoings levelled against the “Gandhis” .The National Herald case and the cases against Robert Vadra. The crucification of the Gandhi family is at the core. As of now, though fear grips those in power and a little fear in EC officials is good!
Rahul Gandhi’s tough talk runs parallel with the feeling that everything is fair in love and war and it is war now, leave the love for another day. Rahul has put the fear of God in EC officials. The opposition ecosystem is responding with social media replete with warnings of dire consequences for Election Commission officials, serving and retired.
“You are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed declaration/oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated” read the EC missive to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the Election Commission for asking Rahul Gandhi to share details of “poll rigging under oath.”
Millions upon millions of Indians agree with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. They believe Rahul Gandhi’s warnings and threats are justified. They’re the ‘New India’. Rahul Gandhi has given them a reason to keep the fight going. And all’s fair in love and war.
The government is now drawing up a threat perception report for Election Commission officials. Currently, the Central Reserve Police Force provides security to key EC officials. The Delhi Police is also involved. After Rahul Gandhi’s “dire consequences” talk, there is confusion in the ranks. Sometimes tough talk is the only resort in a democracy allegedly gone askew. (IPA Service)
