Gandhi vs Gandhi between us
In what could be portrayed in political circles as a Gandhi Versus Gandhi moment, two cousins, Rahul and Feroze Varun, both grandsons of Indira Gandhi, seem to have taken different positions despite being critical of the polices of the present BJP dispensation led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During his recent visit to Cambridge University, Rahul had candidly spoken regarding what he considers to be the erosion of democratic values in our country, Varun on Thursday turned down an invitation from the Oxford Union to speak at a debate on “This House Believes Modi’s India is on the Right Path” since he feels that the topic was one with predefined conclusion. He added that such issues should be raised, within India, and there were ample opportunities to speak on the matter within the country, a stand which was in complete variance with the one taken by Rahul.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has been most critical of Rahul for what it terms as a false narrative regarding India’s democracy and while accusing him of denigrating the country overseas, has demanded a public apology from him. In fact, both Houses of Parliament have witnessed an uproar over his remarks leading to repeated adjournments. Rahul, on his part, continues to maintain that he had stated nothing that was offensive, and that was his refrain within the country as well. He has urged the Speaker to provide him an opportunity to clear the air in the Lok Sabha.
Varun Gandhi, on the other hand, whose comments on several policies of the present government, have been highly critical despite him being a BJP MP from Pilibhit, is now cautious in his response to the invitation sent on behalf of Matthew Dick, president of the Oxford Union. While acknowledging that it was an honour to be invited to speak at the prestigious platform, he mentioned that he sees “no merit or integrity in voicing domestic challenges at an international forum” and that such a step would be a “dishonourable act”.
In one way, Varun seems to have taken a position similar to the one taken by Indira Gandhi, who on a visit to London, during the Janata regime, refrained to comment on what her views were regarding the Janata Party government despite the strong reservations she held about the overall functioning of that particular regime.
However, in particular, many things in the past four decades have witnessed a sea change. In the present times, there are multiple instances where senior functionaries of the government and of political parties have expressed themselves overseas, without being consistent with the established traditions.
Rahul’s grouse has been that the voice of the opposition was being muffled, and even within Parliament, members were not furnished the opportunity, which was their right to speak on topical subjects which needed to be discussed threadbare. Instead, presiding officers had raised doubts over the neutrality of their office by denying Opposition leaders space and time to speak on imperative issues.
The BJP, in particular, has been quite harsh on Rahul Gandhi, and party president J.P. Nadda on Friday asked him to apologise to the nation for insulting India while on his foreign visit. The Congress leaders, have been wanting to know what the BJP was so incensed about since nowhere had Rahul asked for foreign intervention to address the “collapse of our democratic values” and it was a deliberate misinterpretation of his speech to mislead the masses.
It is evident that the BJP would not allow this matter to die down easily and is now also seeking to expel Rahul from the Lok Sabha for airing his views that lowered the image of India while on foreign soil. The expulsion move is a serious issue, reminding one of the folly the Janata Party government made when it had expelled Indira Gandhi from the Lok Sabha, soon after her re-election from Chickmagalur in the late 1970s, despite senior leaders such as Madhu Limaye cautioning the top functionaries of the government. The expulsion had boomeranged and Indira Gandhi rode to power in 1980 following the collapse of the Morarji Desai and Charan Singh governments.
Coming back to Varun, he seems to have taken a principled stand, which he considers to be the correct one in his own estimation. In the process, he has provided a contrast to what his cousin thinks, and many political observers may be tempted to infer that it was his way of retaliating against the rebuff he received from Rahul, who virtually barricaded any possible attempt to bring him back to the Congress fold. It is another matter that Varun has never voiced his desire to get back to the party nurtured by his late father, Sanjay Gandhi, grandmother Indira Gandhi, great grandfather Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, besides other members of his illustrious family.
He has never been shy of raising issues which have not gone well with the current BJP dispensation and many in the party are of the view that he and his mother, Maneka Gandhi, both party MPS, may be denied the ticket in 2024. Varun is moulding himself in the role of Chandra Shekhar and other young Turks, who while being in Congress, often took pot shots at Indira Gandhi and her policies.
Rahul, is at present being targeted by the BJP, which as many of its political opponents think, is using him as an impelling reason, to escape discussion on several significant national issues that could be taken up in Parliament. Between us.