Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi mixed wit with political savviness as he continued with his at tack on the Modi government in his first speech during the Budget Session in Lok Sabha, which resumed on Monday.
Addressing a farmers' rally a day earlier, Rahul had accused PM Narendra Modi of bringing in the land acquisition ordinance to grab farmers' land and use it repay industrialists who funded his election campaign last year.
Modi was singled out yet again, with Rahul calling the NDA government a `suit-boot ki sarkar' in an apparent reference to the expensive suit worn by the PM during US President Barack Obama's visit in January.
As ruling party MPs rose in protest, he added, tongue firmly in cheek, “Chalo suit ki baat khatam ho gayi hai (the talk about the suit is over). You auctioned it. I will not speak about it now. Happy?“ When his reference to Modi as “aap ke pradhan mantri (your PM)“ elicited sharp remonstrations from some BJP MPs who said Modi was PM of the country, Rahul replied, “Ok, desh ke pradhan mantri hain... but is he not your PM?“ He did not stop at this, saying Union minister Nitin Gadkari is the only leader in the ruling party who speaks his heart. “He (Gadkari) had said farmers should not depend on god, or the government. It was dil ki baat, mann ki baat (spoken from the heart),“ he added.
Rahul's appearance in Lok Sabha and his speech clearly left his party MPs both delighted and entertained.“Rahul has learnt to play to the galleries, as he did today. That is what we wanted. He has decided to walk the path of power, responsibility. He will give Modi a run for his money,“ said Silchar MP Sushmita Dev. “Rahul communicated with a sense of ease, spoke with wit, humour and charm and managed to have his say in the House. We gained an upper hand over the Opposition,“ she added.
Surrounded by the Congress's `youth brigade' including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Gaurav Gogoi and Dev, Rahul said Modi was “committing a mistake by thinking that industrialists and corporates were the real power in India“.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had been present in the House since morning, left before Rahul's speech. Later, she told reporters that those who attended had praised his speech.
No senior minister except the agriculture minister and parliamentary affairs minister were present in the Lok Sabha, while finance minister Arun Jaitley put in a brief appearance.
“The acche din government has failed the country.“
“My small advice to the PM is why doesn't he go to the affected farmers and see their plight for themselves?“ “We know your government is of industrialists, it is of big people, we all know it, everyone knows it. Suit-boot ki sarkar hai yeh, we understand it. [After vociferous protests from the treasury benches] The suit-boot has been sold off, we won't say anything about it, are you happy?“ “You are hurting the farmer, and he will hurt you when the time comes. The farmer are the true power of the nation.“
Addressing a farmers' rally a day earlier, Rahul had accused PM Narendra Modi of bringing in the land acquisition ordinance to grab farmers' land and use it repay industrialists who funded his election campaign last year.
Modi was singled out yet again, with Rahul calling the NDA government a `suit-boot ki sarkar' in an apparent reference to the expensive suit worn by the PM during US President Barack Obama's visit in January.
As ruling party MPs rose in protest, he added, tongue firmly in cheek, “Chalo suit ki baat khatam ho gayi hai (the talk about the suit is over). You auctioned it. I will not speak about it now. Happy?“ When his reference to Modi as “aap ke pradhan mantri (your PM)“ elicited sharp remonstrations from some BJP MPs who said Modi was PM of the country, Rahul replied, “Ok, desh ke pradhan mantri hain... but is he not your PM?“ He did not stop at this, saying Union minister Nitin Gadkari is the only leader in the ruling party who speaks his heart. “He (Gadkari) had said farmers should not depend on god, or the government. It was dil ki baat, mann ki baat (spoken from the heart),“ he added.
Rahul's appearance in Lok Sabha and his speech clearly left his party MPs both delighted and entertained.“Rahul has learnt to play to the galleries, as he did today. That is what we wanted. He has decided to walk the path of power, responsibility. He will give Modi a run for his money,“ said Silchar MP Sushmita Dev. “Rahul communicated with a sense of ease, spoke with wit, humour and charm and managed to have his say in the House. We gained an upper hand over the Opposition,“ she added.
Surrounded by the Congress's `youth brigade' including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Gaurav Gogoi and Dev, Rahul said Modi was “committing a mistake by thinking that industrialists and corporates were the real power in India“.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had been present in the House since morning, left before Rahul's speech. Later, she told reporters that those who attended had praised his speech.
No senior minister except the agriculture minister and parliamentary affairs minister were present in the Lok Sabha, while finance minister Arun Jaitley put in a brief appearance.
“The acche din government has failed the country.“
“My small advice to the PM is why doesn't he go to the affected farmers and see their plight for themselves?“ “We know your government is of industrialists, it is of big people, we all know it, everyone knows it. Suit-boot ki sarkar hai yeh, we understand it. [After vociferous protests from the treasury benches] The suit-boot has been sold off, we won't say anything about it, are you happy?“ “You are hurting the farmer, and he will hurt you when the time comes. The farmer are the true power of the nation.“
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