In the wink of an eye

HE spoke, he hugged and he winked. Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the no-trust motion in Parliament was, surprisingly, powerful. As long as he lasted, Rahul was going great guns and giving his detractors a run for their money despite the awareness that the Opposition lacked the requisite numbers to pull off the no-confidence motion against the government. And, he and his allies did hit the target. Notably, Rahul’s jibe at PM Modi and his government being nothing but one of “jumla strikes” evoked much glee in the opposition benches. The allusions to the PM’s “suited-booted” billionaire friends were also not off the mark.

Then, leaving everyone aghast, Rahul went up to PM Modi and enveloped him in a bear hug, saying that he did not hate him. It was a stunning gesture, though high on theatre. For once, Rahul seemed to have aced Modi both in oratory and playing to the gallery. Even as the grinning Congressmen were settling down into a comfort zone, Rahul undid all that in the wink of an eye: he winked at Congressmen. And, that gesture sucked out any warmth that the hug may have generated and eclipsed the gains from the points he raised in the address to the government; the wink signalled conceit. As if Rahul was street smart.

The drama will not be forgotten for a long time but the Congress chief must measure up to the reality that was clearly evident: 325 Members voted in favour of the government, 126 were against. Being the contender for the PM’s post with the General Election due soon, the Congress needs to ponder why the remaining 90 MPs did not turn up and accordingly strategise to drum up support for a stronger coalition of opposition parties. Winning a no-trust move with big margins does not necessarily lead to a victory at the hustings. Interestingly, in 2003, the Vajpayee government handsomely won the no-trust vote, but it was the Opposition that won the polls. Rahul cannot rest on the assumption of history repeating itself.