(Nalin S Kohli is spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Director of the party's Public Policy Research Centre. He is also a lawyer and has extensive experience in media and education.)For what might have been a quiet Sunday, April 19 turned out to be a hyper-active political day. In the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed BJP members of Parliament and other office bearers during a day-long workshop. Within a couple of hours, Mr Rahul Gandhi addressed a farmers' rally. Between and beyond both events, the media sought to compare, analyse and comment on both speeches.
The contrast in the message of the two leaders couldn't have been more stark. Mr Modi listed substantive initiatives of the NDA government in a message of hope. Mr Gandhi dwelt on fear and sought to deliver a message of gloom and doom.
The Prime Minister highlighted the successful implementation of various pro-poor schemes that primarily focused on India's needy. He emphasised that "rashtraniti" (national priority) and not "rajniti" (pure politics) was the driving force of the NDA government for improving delivery of services to the poorest of the poor. This included housing for all, building schools and hospitals, sanitation facilities for women, pension schemes, among other initiatives and policies. He complimented bank employees for making the financial inclusion programme a huge success.
The External Affairs Ministry and Ministers Sushma Swaraj and General V K Singh come in for praise for the successful evacuation efforts in war-ravaged Yemen.
Specifically on relief to farmers affected by adverse weather conditions, Prime Minister Modi pointed towards the increase of input subsidy to 50% to include all farms where 33% of the cultivated land was affected instead of a previous 50% requirement. Additionally, the procurement norms for the coming season have been relaxed for adversely impacted crop yields.
The Congress party, on the other hand, at its rally, tried to score points more on rhetoric than substance. Mr Rahul Gandhi, after a 56-day sabbatical on foreign lands, claimed to speak on behalf of the farmers of the country.
To highlight his commitment on farmers' issues, Mr Gandhi reminded the audience about his (few and far) visits to the Niyamgiri Hills in Orissa (in March 2008) and Bhatta Parsaul (in July 2011). Additionally, he also spoke of a visit to Australia as another supposed benchmark for understanding farmers and land acquisition issues. In all fury, the Congress Vice President launched an attack and promised to oppose the proposed changes to the original 2013 bill on land acquisition and rehabilitation, passed by the erstwhile UPA government led by the Congress.
However, his orchestrated fury lacked the punch of facts to back his allegations. While the Congress party would like to convince Indians that the changes to the original bill are anti-poor and pro-rich, facts point to the contrary. The government has, in reality, expanded the scope of the bill to include 13 Acts that were excluded by the Congress in the 2013 version. Nor does the Congress have any answers to explain why their own Chief Ministers opposed the 2013 bill and sought changes themselves.
Mr Gandhi also prefers not to address why and how the farmers have arrived at such a pitiable condition. Did this happen overnight? Or is it the result of decades of neglect and lack of implementation of programmes? If 125 million bank accounts could be opened in less than six months, why couldn't they have been opened over the last five decades? Did anyone prevent the Congress party from implementing such initiatives in nearly six decades at the centre?
Nor can the timing for passing the 2013 bill be ignored. Indeed, it was at the fag end of an evidently discredited UPA tenure that the Congress felt the need to change the 120-year-old British era land acquisition act of 1894!
Even while attacking the government for being allegedly pro-rich, the Congress scion clearly reminded everyone of the scam-ridden tenure of the UPA government. Obviously, the Congress would hope to ignore how it facilitated crony capitalism in the country's worst mega scams, be it 2G, Coal-gate, CWG and many others, at enormous cost to the national exchequer.
The crowd was restive and evidently inattentive when Mr Rahul Gandhi and later Mrs Sonia Gandhi spoke. An impatient India wants delivery of services and development for all. One can ferry the faithful to attend a rally, but to hold their attention is another matter.
In reality, the rally seemed more to do with "re-launching" Mr Rahul Gandhi. An event and platform was needed to bring the Congress Vice President into political focus, since his track record as a political functionary is consistent more with his absence than presence in Parliament or on the ground.
In an age of intense media scrutiny and with a super-active Prime Minister who works long hours seven days a week, leave of absence from a crucial budget session of Parliament can hardly be expected to go unnoticed or without comment. The confusion and shroud of secrecy about his whereabouts added to the media spectacle that was expected to follow.
Thus, another event, for yet another launch of the leader, was a desperate requirement to somehow shift focus from Mr. Gandhi's absence. Even if one chooses to ignore the unsubstantiated allegations on the grounds of political rhetoric, the larger issue remains woefully unaddressed. Will the Congress continue to disrupt the work of the government for the sake of saving face for its Vice-President? If that is not elitist and anti-poor, one wonders what is.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.