Rahul Gandhi’s ‘quake’ teaser: A new kind of brinkmanship

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The unusual scene of the Treasury benches hitting the well after a prolonged phase of Opposition MPs not allowing discussion in the House would suggest the BJP is rattled enough to not want Gandhi to be heard clearly in the House, or to go on record.

However, most believe that the Speaker would expunge the matter immediately if stated — and therefore, not allowing him to speak clearly adds to the drama, and probably helps Gandhi more than it hurts his game.

The last time Gandhi spoke out against the PM — on his return from a 56-day break in 2015 — the three words, “suit-boot ki sarkar”, left a deep mark on the policies of the government. The defeat in Bihar, coupled with the suit-boot jibe, drew energetic efforts from the government to ensure “pro-poor” became a frequently chanted mantra.

To avoid providing a setting to Gandhi to engage in name-calling and political theatre targeting the PM directly as the government battles demonetisation’s fallout, the House was quickly adjourned for the entire day.

The Congress has been criticised for being unable to provide leadership to a disparate Opposition, and to make the best of opportunities provided by the government. By speaking vociferously, and yet not saying anything specific, Gandhi seeks to do just that — walk away from the “traditional politics” that many in the Congress feel there is little scope for now, given the way in which 2014 has changed the political landscape, and shrunk the space for polite exchanges and “expected” styles of combat.

In Lok Sabha, where the BJP and NDA hold complete sway, the government has gone from a position of hoping to pass three crucial GST-related laws, to one in which its veteran Margdarshak, Former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, has hit out at his own side for its inability to manage its clear majority.

It may be useful to recall that during the Budget session, especially after the recess, nominated MP Subramanian Swamy made serious allegations against the top leadership of the Congress and completely hogged the noise, if not the news. Clearly, there is a thinking in the Opposition that what is sauce for the goose must be sauce for the gander — and it is open season any time for anybody, including the PM. Even though Gandhi is yet to disclose what he has on the PM, what he has said has energised the Opposition, which in real terms is no more than about 180 members, not all of whom are vocal.

There are, of course, serious downsides to such risk-taking. If after the noise, the Congress is unable to produce something big, it might end up being hurt by the recoiling weapon. Also, while most see the brinkmanship as a risky and thrilling gambit, they wonder if it was a good idea to have gone off demonetisation which is looking to unfold into a serious crisis for the government, and guided the discourse in another direction, corruption. There is concern that this might distract Gandhi from getting on the road and mobilising opinion sharply and directly against demonetisation, like he did on farmers issues in UP, for example.

But still, in chess terms, Gandhi, playing white, has made the first move. Suddenly leaving the government with having to shout to shut down the House on days when it should have appeared to be in top gear — diligent, and a victim of Opposition obduracy, wanting to somehow pass the GST. Gandhi appears to have got his political opponents where he wants them — for now.