Former Congress president and member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi never misses an opportunity to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He did not make an exception when he spoke in Parliament on Wednesday while taking part in the debate on the motion of thanks to the President. He was, as usual, trenchant in his criticism. For a change, he also waxed eloquent about the danger of Pakistan and China coming together. It should be said to his credit that he has never shown any inconsistency in his criticism of Modi. Few politicians in the opposition are as frontal as the MP from Wayanad when it comes to attacking Modi. Does it serve any purpose except showing him as an unalloyed critic of the Prime Minister? Alas, excessive criticism has one disadvantage; it lacks credibility. Small wonder that supporters of Modi consider Gandhi’s criticism of their leader as a welcome proposition, for it puts Modi at the centre of the debate. What more does a politician need than being in the public gaze?
As was evident on Wednesday, Gandhi lost an opportunity to critique the President’s speech and remind the nation about the promises Modi made in the past which have not been implemented so far. Instead of focusing on Modi the person, he should have pinpointed the failures of his government and shown the way out. The people should get the impression that if he were to be given an opportunity, he would be able to deliver the goods in a more credible manner than Modi. The job of the opposition is to keep the government on tenterhooks. The Budget presented on Tuesday is full of claims and promises. He could have listed the tall promises made in the previous Budgets and asked some pertinent questions. Everybody thought that he would have learnt that repeatedly calling Modi chowkidar did not serve him any purpose in the previous elections. At best, it evoked laughter.
Politics is the art of the possible. Central to it is the ability of the leader to win the confidence of the people. Periodic disappearances from the centre stage of politics without valid reasons will not show him in a good light. The Congress is no longer the pre-eminent political party in the country. There is no state where it is in a commanding position. This is all the more reason that it should forge alliances with like-minded parties and present a united opposition to the BJP. Calling Modi names alone will serve little purpose.
