In a huge embarrassment for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his government, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday trashed the contentious ordinance on shielding convicted legislators, describing it as “complete nonsense ... which should be torn up and thrown away”. For Mr Gandhi, what the government had done “as far as this ordinance is concerned ... is wrong”. The ordinance, that had been approved by the Cabinet earlier this week, sought to prevent immediate disqualification of convicted MPs and MLAs and negated a Supreme Court ruling on the issue.
Responding to the attack, the Prime Minister, now in Washington for a meeting with US President Barack Obama, issued a statement saying that the “Congress vice-president’s views will be considered (by the government) on my return to India”.
Dr Singh’s statement added: “The ordinance cleared by the Cabinet pertaining to the Representation of the People Act has been a matter of much public debate. The Congress vice-president has also written to me on the issue, and also made a statement. The government is seized of all these developments. The issues raised will be considered on my return to India after due deliberations in the Cabinet.”
Dr Singh, who some believe could get into a “fightback” mode, reportedly spoke to Congress president Sonia Gandhi from Washington. Congress sources indicated, however, that Mrs Gandhi was fully aware of what was “on Rahul’s mind”, and that the “party’s credibility as far as the contentious ordinance was concerned had to be restored among the electorate — particularly the middle class”.
While the BJP demanded that the “weakened” Prime Minister resign following these developments, Congress sources ruled out any such possibility. All eyes are now on the Prime Minister’s return to India early next week. The Congress, which had supported the ordinance at its September 21 core committee meeting, swiftly changed tack with AICC general secretary Ajay Maken saying: “Rahulji’s opinion is the opinion and the line of the Congress... Now the Congress Party is opposed to this ordinance.”
Mr Gandhi’s sudden dramatic move to attack his own government’s decision was being dubbed as an attempt to steal the thunder from the Opposition, particularly the BJP, which had been trying to put the government on the mat over the contentious ordinance as public opinion has been developing rapidly against it. Mr Gandhi’s move is also being moved as an attempt to “come out of the shadows” and “pit himself directly” against saffron icon Narendra Modi.
Incidentally, Mr Gandhi’s remark came just a day after President Pranab Mukherjee rang alarm bells Thursday night when he summoned home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, law minister Kapil Sibal and parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath to brief him on the need for urgency over the ordinance.
Mr Gandhi, making a surprise, unscheduled appearance at a “meet-the-press” programme at the Press Club of India here, that was earlier being addressed by his party colleague Ajay Maken, denounced the ordinance, saying: “I will tell you what is my opinion on the ordinance. It is complete nonsense... it should be torn up and thrown away. It is my personal opinion.” Taking on the UPA government and to an extent even his own party, Mr Gandhi observed: “The argument given in my organisation is that we need to do this because of political considerations. Everybody is doing this. The Congress does this, the BJP does this, the Samajwadi Party, the JD(U) does this...” Then came the sting: “It is time to stop this nonsense... political parties, mine and all others. If you want to fight corruption in the country, whether it is the Congress Party or the BJP, we cannot continue making these small compromises. Because if we make these small compromises, then we compromise everywhere,” Mr Gandhi said.
It may, incidentally, be pointed out that a CBI special court in Ranchi has fixed September 30 as judgment day for the 45 accused, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, an ally of the Congress, in the multi-crore fodder scam case.
Mr Gandhi, who was about to leave the venue immediately after making these remarks, briefly returned to his seat when the journalists raised a clamour for him to respond to questions, and made it clear he felt that his government was in the “wrong” as far as this ordinance was concerned. “I am interested in what the Congress Party is doing and what our government is doing. That is why what our government has done as far as this ordinance is concerned is wrong,” Mr Gandhi said, and then left.
That opinion in the Congress camp was changing over the ordinance had become somewhat evident when Union minister Milind Deora, known for his proximity to Mr Gandhi, had tweeted against it on Thursday. “Legalities aside allowing convicted MPs/MLAs 2 retain seats in the midst of an appeal can endanger already eroding public faith in democracy,” Mr Deora had said on Twitter.
While some “young turks” and even some ministers had taken the cue and began speaking against the ordinance, Mr Gandhi’s remarks on Friday afternoon took senior ministers, who had been vigorously defending the ordinance, completely by surprise.