A self-inflicted injury is how one could best describe the juvenile actions of the Opposition, discarding the huge window of opportunity that the unfathomable suspension of a record 143 MPs from both houses of Parliament provided. On the backfoot over defeats in three of the five states that went to polls in November this year, one expected the Opposition to act with a little more maturity.
For once, it had the option to not only put the government on the backfoot over the security lapse in Parliament, but it also had the opportunity to push it against the wall for vindictive action against the Opposition over its legitimate demand for the Home Minister to make a statement on the theatrics that the nation witnessed on December 13 in the Lok Sabha when individuals armed with pamphlets and smoke cans caused mayhem in the House while it was in session.
As it stands today, the Opposition’s approach against the government is in complete disarray following Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee’s boorish mimicry of Rajya Sabha Chairman and India’s Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar. What was expected to be a show of strength by the Opposition soon turned into a mockery as the visuals of Banerjee’s juvenile conduct found its way onto millions of television screens. Some way to fight a perception battle!
What exacerbated the Opposition’s woes, however, was the presence of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alongside MPs who sat and jeered with glee as Banerjee made a mockery of the Opposition. If that wasn’t enough, Rahul pulled out his mobile phone and began recording the entire incident. The ground that the BJP needed to mount an attack walked right into their hands. Rahul’s explanation that he never shared the video cut little ice and the BJP didn’t waste a moment to lap it up.
Also Read: PM Modi dials V-P Dhankhar over mimicry row, expresses pain over ‘abject theatrics’
“Your senior leader was found shooting a video of an unparliamentary act of one of the suspended MPs, sitting out on protest… I just want to say that good sense (sadbuddhi) may prevail,” Dhankhar told Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha soon after Banerjee’s mimicry had been aired by television channels. The President and the Prime Minister also joined in as did a host of BJP leaders.
The Opposition may have lost the opportunity to claim moral high ground against the government, but it is the Congress that will suffer from the travesty. TMC is in a commanding position against the BJP in West Bengal and Banerjee’s mimicry of the V-P isn’t going to make much of a difference among its support base in the state. Party supremo and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has the steadfast backing of the people and one stray incident won’t matter much.
Also Read: Suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mimics Jagdeep Dhankhar; Rahul Gandhi films act
The Congress, on the other hand, has much to lose. Having assumed a leadership role in the newly-formed INDIA bloc of 28 Opposition parties, the Congress is the only national party leading a narrative battle against the BJP. As the case has been, the Congress makes for an easy target for the BJP in case of a slip-up. In the aftermath of the mimicry row in Parliament premises, the BJP’s attacks have focussed largely on Rahul’s act of recording the video while only touching upon the mimicry itself.
Ironically, the BJP is not alone in putting Congress under the spotlight. “We respect everyone. This is not about disrespect. This is just casually political… Had Rahul (Gandhi) not taken a video, you would not have come to know about it even (sic),” Mamata said a day after the incident.
Also Read: ‘Mimicry an art, intention wasn’t to hurt’: Kalyan Banerjee after video mimicking Dhankhar blows up
Mamata’s remark also came a day after she proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s name as the PM face of the INDIA bloc. The proposal, backed by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, is seen as a direct affront to the Congress’ efforts to pitch Rahul as the undisputed leader of the Opposition alliance. Notably, the TMC and the Aam Aadmi Party have been the most vocal in their demand for early talks on the issue of seat-sharing within the Opposition in Bengal, Delhi and Punjab.
The idea clearly is to gain an upper hand and restrict the Congress to contesting the minimum seats in the states where regional parties are also in contest with the Congress besides the BJP. The Congress, which has said earlier that it is willing to make compromises, may have to bite the bullet when it comes to accommodating the demands of a large section of its allies. A victory in the Hindi heartland states, a scenario that the Congress hoped would help it gain mileage in the race within the Opposition, also turned out otherwise.
Also Read: Mallikarjun Kharge for PM? At INDIA meet, Congress president says let Opposition get majority first
For a party fighting a multi-pronged battle in the face of an adversary as mighty as the BJP, slip-ups like these can prove costlier than the Congress would hope or expect. As the race hots up for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, controversies such as the one Rahul walked right into are those the Congress would be best advised to avoid. For now, the BJP has regained the edge by successfully deviating twin issues of the security breach and the brazen action against MPs in Parliament. And, as if by design, the Congress has been left to fend for itself.