Opposition loses focus as government sails through

Congress yields space to its new allies; incoherence of I.N.D.I.A fails to stem NDA's hydra headed assault.

- SHUBHABRATA BHATTACHARYA

The raison d’être of the central leadership of Congress embracing its archrival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), ignoring the chagrin of its state level leaders, was brought to naught when the Delhi Services Bill sailed through Parliament. The numbers game in Rajya Sabha, which Arvind Kejriwal sought to tweak by successfully cajoling the I.N.D.I.A. bandwagon to stand by AAP, went awry.

The fate of the No Confidence Motion in Lok Sabha was a foregone conclusion. The Opposition wilted even before the motion was put to vote. Perhaps accentuated by a brief appearance of Rahul Gandhi, who breezed in midway while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was replying, the movers of the No Trust move forfeited their parliamentary right to reply to the PM as the I.N.D.I.A squad had walked out, accentuating a voice vote dismissal of the motion.

NDA replied with orchestrated thunder to the “Charge of the Light Brigade” of incoherent I.N.D.I.A partners. Yes, the No Trust move brought the 26-party conglomerate together on the floor of Lok Sabha and even outside—the social media handles of these parties projected the speeches of leaders of partner parties apart from highlighting their own. But there was no orchestration during the debate. In sharp contrast the NDA defence was welltuned. Opposition relied on subtle English diction; NDA replied in chaste Hindi. The national telecast of the proceedings was fully and properly utilised.