Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the Lok Sabha defending his government against the Opposition parties’ No-confidence motion was aimed as a hit below the belt for the opposition Unity. His very words: The Opposition parties’ unity is nothing but ‘ghamandiya’ (arrogance or pride) reeks of a hate-filled venom.

Any sensible person would deem it unworthy of the Prime Minister to use such demeaning words against members of other democratic parties. Attacking Nehru-Gandhi family with oft-repeated monstrous words demonstrate how low one can go in attacking people whom he hates as thorn in his flesh.  But Modi has his own style using words. His double engine partner might term it as ‘jumlabaji.’ But, except his Sanghi bhakts, the citizens of this nation will not forgive him and will not forget his theatrics. 

The world has watched with consternation Modi’s own arrogant performance over the years. His attempt to highlight India as a world leader among the comity of nations borders on arrogance. An unrealistic attempt is made to sweep under the carpet burning problems like harsh economic problems, unemployment, farmers’ unrest, poverty, mounting discontent against spiralling prices, oppression of religious and ethnic minorities and the like.  When his party men shout:  ‘Goli maro, salon ko’, his silence is ominous.  

When serious crimes like rape, burning, killing, destruction of worshipping places, and parading women naked have been committed in Manipur, Modi’s reply in Parliament was: ‘Sisters and brothers, we are with you.’ In other words: we are helpless. This was nothing more than a far away flying kiss from the cozy confines of Parliament!

Modi’s much-loved attack on Opposition parties reeks of his and his party’s dread of the Opposition unity which is lashing across the nation and threatening to become a whirlwind to uproot the ruling BJP. Whenever one hears Modi speaking in public, he impersonates the flogging school master of a Charles Dickens’ novel. Modi seems to take undue pleasure in using unwholesome, demeaning and illogical words to describe opposition parties and the Nehru-Gandhi family. 

While he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, we heard him lash out against the UPA-led central government for its policies and performance. News lines have reported that ten years ago, as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi had moved a resolution titled ‘UPA -- a grave threat to our Federalism’ at the BJP National Executive Meeting in Lucknow (Source: express.com). Now he sees the opposition unity as a grave threat to Federalism. His type of federalism means for him a double engine bulldozer government that crushes minorities, throws socialism to the wind by selling national assets to crony capitalists, free run for his capitalist friends and bank defaulters. Modi’s type of federalism is aptly described by an opposition party parliamentarian: Within nine years of his governance, nine states in the Indian Federal Union were dismissed by Modi government. 

The Opposition parties’ No-confidence motion, as they claim, was not meant to dethrone Modi and his government which enjoys brute majority in the Lok Sabha. But the message went home that the citizens’ anger was beyond description given the ghastly Manipur events and that Modi not visiting the area and his studied silence. The Motion was meant to force him to come to Parliament to break his damning silence about the tragic horrors in Manipur. When he spoke finally, all his negative energy darted against opposition parties, describing their newly-formed unity front INDIA as ‘Ghamandiya’. His hate-studded appellations against the Nehru-Gandhi family too were in bad taste. No wonder the Opposition walked out not wanting to listen to the PM. He hoped to face another such Opposition-sponsored motion in 2028!

Only when the Opposition had walked out, he used a few minutes of his long-drawn speech to deal with Manipur. Not much of a soothing solace to the scarred minds and scorched emotions of the people of the State. Only time will tell who will bag fortunes in 2024 and beyond.