Rahul Gandhi strikes back and he does it so well!

Rahul’s attack on the BJP over Hinduism was fierce. Sample this. Continuing his Shiva narrative, he said even all other religions such as Islam, Jainism, Sikhism and Christianity espoused the principles of truth, courage, non-violence. And he went on to say, pointing out both his hands towards the ruling benches, that those who claim to be Hindus practise violence and untruth

India finally has the leader of the opposition (LOP) in the all-important Lok Sabha after a gap of ten years.

For those who like democracy and love the voice of the opposition being heard despite all out efforts to silence the LOP, Rahul Gandhi’s speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday was a treat to the eyes and ears.

And for those who dismissed Rahul as an immature, foreign trip-loving reluctant politician, it must have been an eye (and ear)-opener though they would not have the courage to admit it as they would have to swallow their own words.

And this is not about blindly supporting one man or unduly criticising the other. This is about calling a spade, a spade.

BJP considered itself as the custodian of Hinduism and even weaponised it in the elections. The party members of the Lok Sabha would have hardly expected that Rahul would flaunt a picture of Lord Shiva to begin his narrative that he drew inspiration from the Hindu god who wears a cobra around his neck and keeps the weapon trident behind his left hand and these two aspects convey the messages to the people that one should be courageous and non-violent.

And finally, the god shows his right palm as if saying ‘be fearless’. The ruling benches waved the rule book to argue (rather shout) that no symbol or pictureis allowed to be exhibited in the House. By this time, Rahul made his point that he was being prevented from showing Lord Shiva. He even alleged that the Lok Sabha TV camera did not focus on him when he showed Lord Shiva’s picture.

Rahul’s attack on the BJP over Hinduism was fierce. Sample this. Continuing his Shiva narrative, he said even all other religions such as Islam, Jainism, Sikhism and Christianity espoused the principles of truth, courage, non-violence. And he went on to say, pointing out both his hands towards the ruling benches, that those who claim to be Hindus practise violence and untruth.

PM Modi, present in the House, stood up and described the change as serious – calling all Hindus violent people. No, no, no, screamed Rahul amid BJP’s shouting in support of their supremo. Narendra Modi, BJP and RSS do not represent Hindus.

This along with Rahul’s jibe against Agniveer scheme being very unfair to the youth as well as the Army, spilled over to debate outside the Parliament House.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Rahul made some objectionable remarks in Parliament. He said that martyrs won't receive compensation under the Agniveer Scheme. The Defence Minister made it clear that Rs 1 crore compensation is given in the Agniveer scheme. Congress has raised this issue multiple times and tried to create a false narrative.

Apart from Modi, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and several others also sprang up to counter Rahul but the LOP would not budge as he continued some of his statements made during the election campaign and his two Bharat Jodo Yatras. He has learnt the art of enjoying the immunity by making all his anti-BJP and government points in the House. There was a pin drop silence among the treasury benches when Rahul referred to the non-biological and God-sent claim by Modi.

Rahul also raised the burning issues such as Manipur violence, the deadly blow that the improper GST and demonetisation dealt to the MSMEs, the rising unemployment and of course the NTA mess. Unfortunately, religion takes the front seat for most of the Godi media. But the other opposition leaders will have ample opportunities to keep pressing discussion on all key issues confronting the nation and which the BJP would like to sidestep. Let us keep a close watch on them as well.

Talking of close watch let me raise my favourite subject of shadow cabinet. The opposition must distribute all its speaker talent across the verticals. Rahul must take the lead and discuss it among the INDIA partners to allocate the portfolios. This will help focus on issues and having a meaningful debate rather than everybody speaking about everything. Moreover, Rahul will gain respect from the rest of the opposition. Remember, he had to face certain disquiet within the alliance over seat sharing, Bharat Jodo Yatra route and contradictory statements from TNC and AAP.

Here, I must point out that Rahul demonstrated his maturity when he said the entire opposition was with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. This should help settle murmurs in the INDIA block. The alliance partners should remember that their unity would be put to test in the forthcoming key elections to the legislative assemblies in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, apart from the major civic bodies such as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Above all, their credibility and sustainability will also be under watch. Don’t underestimate the intelligence and judgement of the Indian voter.

There is another subject of national and regional importance that the opposition would have to tackle. It’s the rushing through of the three new criminal laws when the entire opposition MPs lot was bundled out of Parliament in December 2023. Amit Shah claims that the laws were thoroughly discussed with all parties through the Home Ministry’s consultative committee. But does it represent the voice of the entire opposition?

Talking of the basics, how many of the judges, lawyers, and police have been familiarised with this hat-trick of laws? Will it not be a herculean task? How does the government plan to solve the maze?

I observed one interesting thing about the laws titled in Hindi with English acronyms: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, BharatiyaSakshyaAdhiniyam (BSA) 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023

So much the Indianisation of the archaic laws of the British Raj as Amit Shah himself quoted these acronyms during his media briefing on the Day 1 of the introduction of the law on July 1.

But legal veteran and Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal did not agree with the Home Minister as he said they are much worse than the colonial laws that were framed.

Sibal explained that when the nation adopted the Constitution of India, it was based on the 1935 (Government of India) Act. When we adopted the criminal laws, that was the same (British-era) Indian Penal Code (IPC), the same Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). When the British had this provision that you can arrest anybody merely based on suspicion, he said addressing a seminar organised by NGO 'Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms- (CJAR).

He said that the new criminal laws are far more draconian than the existing ones and prone to misuse by enforcement agencies, just like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Isn’t it time Rahul Gandhi started tapping into the knowledge and experience of Kapil Sibal? Let them bury the hatchet and start working in the national interest since their goal is common – to ensure equitable justice as guaranteed by the Constitution.

I strongly feel that the legal Pundits and law makers must carefully study the three new laws to check if they affect the basic tenets of the Constitution which was based on the British laws, as Sibal says. Debate, we must.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)