A war or words has broken out between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party after a Motion of Thanks by Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament. Lashing out at the Prime Minister, the Congress said that people are wondering how much does Modi hear and when will he hear.
Pointing out that people expect a certain level of maturity from the one who has evolved from chief minister to prime minister and willingness to listen, the Congress said, "As one evolves from Chief Minister to Prime Minister, people certainly expect a certain level of maturity, a certain degree of willingness to listen and outgrow the love of one's own voice. But after two years of unease, unrest and numerous confrontations, people have begun to wonder - "how much does he hear – when will he hear"."
The remarks came after Modi gave a point by point rebuttal to the Congress vice president's claim and invoked former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in his speech.
The statement is also seen as a reply to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's Facebook post where he wrote the more he hears him, the more he wonders "how much does he know and when will he know".
Attacking the Prime Minister on a host of issues, Congress said that Modi did not hear the voice of Mohammad Akhlaq who was lynched on rumours of having beef, FTII students, Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.
The Congress added that Modi's views are shaped by the environment of a thought process which has evolved into a 'crowd around the Sangh Parivar' and is too consumed in his self publicity campaigns and sound of his own voice.
Here is the full text of the Congress statement:
In May 2014, India witnessed a phenomenon – a man castigated by the global community for his politics of hatred, was elected to lead the world's largest Democracy. There was tremendous hope attached with that victory – hope of a billion plus nation and its young impressionable minds who were enraptured by the billion dreams the man held out to them.
As one evolves from Chief Minister to Prime Minister, people certainly expect a certain level of maturity, a certain degree of willingness to listen and outgrow the love of one's own voice. But after two years of unease, unrest and numerous confrontations, people have begun to wonder - "how much does he hear – when will he hear".
He didn't hear the impassioned pleas of students who were fighting RSS imposed mediocrity in FTII. He didn't hear the wails of the family of Mohammed Akhlaq, who was dragged out of his home and lynched by a mob on the suspicion that he had stored beef.
He didn’t hear the agonizing pleas of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who was forced to end his life because he had opposed the ABVP. He responded to Rohith's pleas 5 days after his tragic death, when Dalit students embarrassed the PM by raising slogans during his speech. He didn't hear Kanhaiya's speech at JNU, but his government chose to listen to the doctored videos that were circulated by members/supporters of BJP.
He doesn't even listen to own Ministers. He himself decides when to stop talking to Pakistan and when to restart diplomacy by diverting plane. His Ministers have to later scramble to find new words like 'spontaneous diplomacy' to describe his ill-advised moves hatched mid-air in his mind. The result - attack on our air installation in Pathankot and death of seven brave soldiers.
Does he listen to India's farmers and the ailing agriculture sector – if he did, they wouldn't be committing suicide. Does he listen to pleas for action against corrupt Ministers – if he did, Foreign Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Gujarat CM Smt. Anandiben Patel, Rajasthan CM Smt. Vasundhara Raje, Chhattisgarh CM Shri Raman Singh, Madhya Pradesh CM Shri Shivraj Chouhan and Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, would have all been sacked by now.
Unfortunately, the Prime Minister's views are shaped by the environment of a thought process which has evolved into a 'crowd around the Sangh Parivar'. His views are shaped by his rich industrialist friends, who have become even richer during his tenure, and may be the only people who get heard in his government.
One third of his term is over. Almost all his electoral promises have been broken, save one, the promise of providing constant stream of events that quickly fade into oblivion.
Despite Delhi, and then Bihar - clear reminders of how the wind has begun to change direction, he has decided to ignore it, perhaps too consumed by his own publicity campaigns, and the sound of his own voice.
It is time to get real. Theatrics in Parliament may be good entertainment for his supporters. But pulses are still selling at more than double the price when he took office. It is his job to deliver, and ours to ask questions. This is just a reminder.
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