Prime Minister Narendra Modi reassures worried nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reassures worried nation

FPJ BureauUpdated: Friday, May 31, 2019, 08:32 PM IST
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Positive signs were available on Friday that the winter session of Parliament might yet succeed in doing some useful work. To begin with, what signals the breaking of ice between the leaders of the ruling and the main Opposition party is the invitation by Prime Minister Modi to Sonia Gandhi for discussion on the urgent legislative business of the government. Sonia and Manmohan Singh were set to meet the PM at the Race Course Road complex later on Friday. This should be welcome.

After the silly confrontation which wasted the entire monsoon session, there seems to be realisation on both sides that not talking to each other can deter the country’s progress. It is good that the PM has reached out to the Congress leadership. Of course, the proposed GST Bill will be on the table when they meet, especially when most other groups in Parliament seemed to have come on board. The Congress insistence on incorporating the optimum rate of taxation in the constitutional amendment Bill does seem rather extraordinary but one would withhold comment till after the final decision.

There were other signs of thaw too. The two-day discussion in the Lok Sabha aimed at commemorating the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar was by and large free from acrimony. Yes, the Congress speakers were at pain to highlight the contribution of their past leaders to the making of the foundational document of the Republic, but members cutting across party lines generally avoided rancour. The  Prime Minister, in the concluding remarks, said all the right things, noting the role and contribution of the stalwarts of the freedom movement, including Nehru, Prasad, Azad, and, of course, Ambedkar. He paid rich tributes to the Dalit icon and reiterated the commitment to abide by the Constitution. He repeated that ‘India first’ was the only religion of his government and the Constitution its guiding scripture. Modi solemnly intoned that ‘the nation will run only according to the Constitution.’ Dalits, the marginalised and the poor would be the focus of the development efforts of the Government.

In a ringing avowal to the unifying and universal ‘idea of India,’ the PM said differences of caste, creed, religion, region and ethnicity would not influence the government which was committed to ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas.’ Making a further conciliatory gesture, Modi reminded the House that he had said in his last Red Fort address that ~all~ prime ministers had contributed to the making of the nation and he respected their contributions, a clear gesture to the Congress Party which complained that the NDA Government was trying to erase the memory of Nehru and other party leaders. Aware of the need to make the session run, the PM repeatedly stressed the need for consensus-building, for reaching out to all sections of the House. He said asserting the power of superior numbers was the option of last resort in a democracy. In short, Modi was at pain to come across as conciliatory and consensual, aware that disruption and aggravation can only impede the forward-looking economic and social agenda of the government.

The PM exhorted the members to draw a lesson from Ambedkar, noting that in spite of suffering hardships and insults for being born a Dalit, he did not allow bitterness to creep into his functioning as the head of the drafting committee of the Constitution. Of course, there was no question of anyone wanting to revise or review the Constitution, a direct reply to those spreading the canard that the BJP wanted to change the secular character of the founding document. The PM made an important point when he lamented that while everyone talked of one’s rights, nobody mentioned his duties. Indeed, he suggested that instead of confining the discussion on the Constitution and its foremost maker to Parliament alone, ordinary people too should be made aware of the lasting glory and strength of the founding document.  Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha too there was relative calm when it took up the discussion on Ambedkar and his lasting legacy, though at times the ruling party and the Opposition did indulge in not-so-hostile exchanges over the recent intolerance controversy. In sum, the country feels blessed her netas kept their quarrels to themselves by noting the contribution of the makers of the Republic. Hopefully, from Monday, they will be able to conduct some serious legislative business. That is the reason they have all been sent to Parliament.

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