Shiban Khaibri
While an enviable but a rare honour to address the joint meeting of the US Congress and for the second time , a first for an Indian Prime Minister, was accorded to the PM Narendra Modi , at the same time it was keenly and intensely watched by the entire world thus India making its position asserted as an important fast emerging world power. It is thus tantamount to 140 crore citizens of this country being honoured by the United States. However, around the same time, a conglomerate of 15 opposition parties planned and assembled in Patna to devise means as to how the Narendra Modi could be defeated in 2024 elections. It is a sheer paradox that while almost the entire world is praising Modi’s leadership qualities and many leaders vie for a meeting with him , in spite of ”arranged toolkits” and Sorosian effect of the hate vicious circle , later coupled with Obamain ”arranged” hypocritical remarks, disgruntled forces from within appear to be sulking and perpetually in a state of out of sorts as to why Modi is getting so much importance and world fame . It is a thing to be believed , though unfortunately, that the curve of such sulking and grumping rises proportionate to the quantum of tumultuous welcome and respect accorded to Modi Ji like in the US , Egypt etc. Back home, the position is that when it is Modi , you have to find ,hunt or even otherwise manufacture, anything to defame him , belittle him and show him down and even outsource a means for the purpose. However, this time the ”pain” of Manipur made Congress and some other opposition parties so much ill at ease that they ridiculed the PM in having chosen to visit the US instead of going to Manipur. Manipur did not rattle with violence just in the nick of the scheduled official visit of the PM but even before too but the occasion to cash it politically was chosen coinciding with the important visit. In other words, such a great honour by the world’s super power that of inviting the Prime Minister on a state official visit should have been rejected by him citing Manipur and instead should have himself gone there, is what can be made of the wisdom of Congress leaders . Even after doing that, hypothetically speaking, he still had to be attacked , if not on any other ”created” issue but the conventional and repeatedly chorused one that of “Mehengai, Berozgaari and even Bukhmari” and “minorities discriminated against” etc etc.
We have leapfrogged from 10th world’s largest economy to 5th and are speeding towards becoming the 3rd largest, growing presently at 7.2% with nearing $3.8 trillion with consistent macro stability despite the severe bouts of economic hit suffered on account of the Covid pandemic stretching from 2019 to 2022 , but the determined opposition parties cannot swallow it as it reflects on how they performed in comparison . If that does not speak of the able leadership and if that does not speak for the consequential interest generated in world economies to partner with India , what is it else in that case. As many as 80 crore of people of the country being given free food for the last three years and at the same time exporting food stuffs , even as friendship gesture, to many countries does not even now ”merit” this country to have the position of hunger index pedestal removed from the biased and mischievous number of 107 . Opposition is celebrating it as it unjustifiably puts the present Government in a poor position despite those countries whom India has helped by exporting food stuffs like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan etc are shown occupying ranking of 64, 81, 84 and 109 respectively. It is a travesty that Pakistan where there is acute food crisis and riots over non availability of food grains is shown at 99th position. The credibility, accuracy and honesty coupled with sincerity of the ”authors” of the European NGOs in measuring and tracking hunger index, can thus be seen . Such ranking deliberately manoeuvred speaks volumes of prejudice.
The opposition parties met at Patna at the behest of CM Bihar Nitish Kumar who has been increasingly sweating and slaving for forging opposition unity to defeat BJP in 2014 “only and only to save democracy and the constitution” in the country. However, the grandeur of utter simplicity and avoiding expenditures , especially by the new Party feigning utter simplicity and honesty, was seen when most of the leaders even not in power, flew in by chartered planes . It , however, remains to be ascertained and confirmed that perhaps not a single leader arrived by general passenger plane. May be the urgency of working out as to how Modi could be defeated in 2024 constrained them to choose such a mode of costly flying. What is more interesting is that the issue over which the Prime Minister was harshly criticised – Manipur – was nowhere even remotely found on the agenda to be discussed and at least by announcing a team from amongst those present to visit and camp in Manipur and make efforts to bring peace there.
In other words , these leaders showed their preference of “Modi hatao” over such a serious issue like Manipur and used it to only to whip Modi with politically thus themselves mocking and ridiculing their stand . That exposed their real intentions and Indian electorate can better see through how much the leaders were serious about Manipur. One main factor which must have kept the ”secular and democratic ” opposition leaders from even sympathising with the main victims of Manipur violence being Meiti Hindus who have been regularly targeted and thousands forced to flee . They are unfortunately paying price for mishandling the North East from early 50s down to 90s by the successive Central Governments. Their plight has been perpetual which speaks for their population having been over 65% in 1951 coming down to 44%. Speaking for and sympathising with victim Hindus in this country should not be felt as something offending the hyped secularism. On the other hand, right from 2014 till date Manipur has seen lot of infrastructural development which has enhanced and vastly improved the connectivity. Anyway, Manipur problem being a national problem , all political parties especially Congress must not try to fish in the troubled waters as it is not today’s problem. The conflict over there between Meiti and Kuki , the two local ethnic communities, needs to be ended as soon as possible for which both the state and central governments must pool in all efforts , the recent visit and stay over there for three days by the Union Home Minister notwithstanding, as more needs to be done. However, Congress Party needs to seriously introspect as to under whose rule Manipur was mismanaged leading to sprouting of the present problem.
We saw during the same time , how Congress Party opposed the decision of the Central Government to confer the Gandhi Peace Prize on (Shree) Gita Press Gorakhpur on the eve of its centenary celebrations which again shows its prejudice against anything connected with Sanatan Dharma and Hindus. Calling the decision like “awarding Godse or Veer Savarkar” and, therefore, a ”travesty” shows the extent which the Party can go to in order to strengthen its appeasement agenda which it thinks is vital for its sustenance. It is futile to argue to question as to how Godsey and Shree Veer Savarkar can be put at the same footing let alone how it looks travesty to Congress. Indira Ji had honoured Savarkar calling him as “India’s Remarkable Son” and had got issued postal stamp in his honour . It is beyond comprehension as to how can there be any Congressperson presently more ”Congressi ”than Indira Gandhi. Nehru on May 12, 1957 while declining to speak from a function which felicitated Veer Savarkar had said, “I have respect for Savarkar who is a brave man , a great man but having some differences , it would be an embarrassment to me as well as to Savarkar to speak from the same stage” in Delhi . The two great Congress leaders had great respect for Veer Savarkar who had served a jail term of 10 years in solitary confinement in the frightening and dreaded Cellular Jail of Andaman Nicobar , restrained in chains, flogged repeatedly, tied to the mill to extract oil all day and fed with rotten food many a time. We have yet to come across whether any ”great” leader from Congress including Gandhi Ji and Nehru Ji even spent 10 days in that jail.
In respect of the Prime Minister’s recent state visit to the US , much has been got known and thus merits nothing extra except by saying that three C’s-of Chemistry, Commerce and Culture – saw new dimensions . Chemistry between the two leaders of the two democracies, commerce , trade and economic cooperation and recognition of rich traditional culture of India and the doctrine of delivery thereof , on expected lines, was going to silence the doubters. Modi chants in America, intermittent standing ovation and repeated applauses during his address to the joint US Congress heralds the time of next generation partnership which is bound to reshaping the global order, carping shall , however, continue to be there from within which is the real travesty.
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