Opinion: Modi's Boundaries And Sixers At Opposition's Expense

It was a rare no-confidence motion, in which the mover of the motion, the Congress, walked out with its allies in the middle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to the three-day debate.

Everybody knew numbers were never the issue. However, a motion defeated by a voice vote, with no one in the opposition ranks to ask for an actual vote, was another rarity.

Since the Modi government's stability was never in question, the only issue was who - the BJP-led NDA or the 26-party INDIA born out of demise of UPA - uses this occasion best to its advantage. Which coalition effectively rips apart allegations from their rivals, constructs a compelling narrative for the welfare of people and nation building, and provides substantial talking points that extend beyond rhetoric and gives political workers, supporters and sympathisers a message to take to the people ahead of the 2024 parliamentary election.

The reinstatement of Rahul Gandhi's membership of the Lok Sabha on July 7, just a day before the debate on his party sponsored no-confidence motion, had enthused secularists and left-liberals.

In the wider world, there was much anticipation, though for a different reason. It was a given that Rahul Gandhi's speech and PM Modi's reply were going to be most-watched. The Congress's support system was at fever pitch, declaring, "Now the tiger will roar".

Since the stated objective of the no-confidence motion by the opposition was Manipur, Home Minister Amit Shah's intervention too was closely watched.

What Biju Janata Dal (a party neither aligned to the ruling NDA nor the opposition INDIA) MP Pinaki Mishra said on the first day of the debate was noteworthy: "I have always believed that the Congress party is adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They are also very adept at cutting off their nose to spite their face. They know that every time the PM has got up to speak on the floor of this House, he has pushed the Congress party through the shredder... This defies common sense, logic, political sense..."

The Congress and its allies are flinging varied accusations at the government, including that PM Modi started speaking on Manipur only an hour into his speech. They also claim that Modi appeared to be "nervous and panicked". Those who watched the proceedings can easily judge such claims on merits. The opposition came least prepared for the debate. The Congress's strategy was, in fact, more cohesive and surcharged on the Delhi Services Bill debate, in support of their newfound ally Arvind Kejriwal.

Rahul Gandhi's sound and fury was misdirected. Saying that he began his Bharat Jodo Yatra with "ahankar" (arrogance) and as a "Bhedia" (jackal) who turned into a "Chinti" (ant) was inevitably fodder for his rivals.

Labeling Modi as Ravan, once again dragging Adani into the debate, using words (not mentioning because expunged from proceedings) on Bharat Mata and a flying kiss while exiting the House redirected the Congress's focus toward damage control rather than amplifying what he said.

He provided enough ammo to BJP leaders to launch an attack on him, his party and his alliance.

When Modi took the floor, he picked up right where he had left off during the no confidence debate in July 2018 and the concluding session of the previous Lok Sabha in early 2019. He expressed gratitude to the opposition for proving his five-year-old prophesy right and giving him the opportunity to speak on a range of issues on this platform, an opportunity he wouldn't have got otherwise. If that wasn't enough, he urged them to prepare better for a no confidence motion in 2028, implying that he would be in the closing months of his third term then. The sarcasm was unmissable, but it's also a fact that he was served this opportunity on a platter.

PM Modi used words, phrases, and easy sentences in his characteristic style, which resonates with the hinterland. He made his audience laugh at the expense of his rivals, prompted them to reflect on the achievements of his government and the follies of his political rivals.

He came down hard on appeasement, dynastic politics and the corrupt practices of the INDIA alliance, calling it the GHAMANDIA (arrogant) alliance of parties who, in their attempt to use the country's name, "only ended up breaking it by putting dots after each letter".

He went on to describe how every opposition attack - like the no-trust move - was actually lucky for him and how his number increased in the 2019 election. He predicted even better numbers in 2024.

The PM's statement also tackled criticism over the economy, from Rahul Gandhi and Raghuram Rajan in particular. Where they predicted the doom of the Indian banking sector, it fared better than western nations, which faced a banking crisis. Where they predicted doom for HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), in reality, it thrived. They predicted doom for the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) after the Hindenburg-Adani controversy erupted, but in reality, the state-run insurer continues to flourish.

That was his lead-up to his "guarantee", of elevating India to the status of third largest economy after US and China, in his third term.

Though he started late on Manipur, over an hour into his reply, he stayed on the subject for about 20 minutes. The complexities he and Amit Shah outlined were not known to the world and neither were the historicity and the roots of the ethnic clashes. Modi didn't spare Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, ripping into their policies for the North-East and other parts of the country.

Nehru's All India Radio broadcast message to Assam throwing people in panic mode and Indira Gandhi sending Indian Air Force fighter jets to bomb our own people in Manipur in March 1966 were practically erased from public memory. So was Indira Gandhi handing over Katchatheevu island in 1974 under a Indo-Sri Lanka maritime agreement. Now DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to PM Modi to engage with Sri Lanka to get the island back to India.

The Congress-led opposition, in its own wisdom, laid the pitch and bowled loose balls to allow Modi to hit fours and sixes.

(Sanjay Singh is a senior journalist based in Delhi)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.