All of us remember the manner in which now Congress President, Rahul Gandhi, insulted then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by tearing an ordinance that was passed by Singh’s cabinet in public. Frankly, it was disgraceful conduct on Gandhi’s part that can never be ignored.
Manmohan Singh has always been considered to be a puppet whose actions as Prime Minister were directed by Sonia Gandhi. The general impression that the public had of him was someone who was treated extremely unfairly by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. It is still the general belief, and with good reason, that the first family of the Congress party treated Singh in a contemptible fashion.
Now that Rahul Gandhi has taken charge of the party and has expressed his desire to be the Prime Minister of the country, it could very well work against him if the family’s treatment of Singh becomes a focus of attention ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.
Therefore, Congress sympathizers in the media appear to have taken it upon themselves to whitewash the insulting manner in which the Family has treated India’s first Sikh Prime Minister. In what can only be construed as a propaganda piece to favour Rahul Gandhi, Pallavi Ghosh has attempted to exonerate the perpetually ‘Come-Of-Age’ Congress president.
Ghosh, who has earned a notorious reputation for herself due to overt loyalty towards the dynasty, claims that Rahul Gandhi has realized that his conduct has been unacceptable in the past and has made an effort to develop a proper relationship with the former Prime Minister.
The articles ends with the words, “Sources say Rahul was keen that the foundation day cake must be cut with Dr Singh. This was in recognition of the man who has been called ‘weak’, but whom Rahul sees as his benchmark; who, as those close to him say, he will always turn to as he would have if his father Rajiv Gandhi were still alive.”
Such flowery words betray the real intent behind the article. It certainly does not appear to be an honest reflection of the events that have transpired between the two of them. It comes across as a work of fiction.
Such glossy words cannot hide the fact that the manner in which Rahul Gandhi treated Manmohan Singh at the party’s 134th foundation day. In what was surely a well thought out PR strategy to elevate Rahul Gandhi’s stature as a politician, Rahul Gandhi ‘helped’ Manmohan Singh cut the cake. In reality, it was arrogant, rude as the Congress President appeared to snatch the knife away from Singh in a hurry as the aged politician was naturally slow in his movements. The manner in which he served the cake to the senior politician came across as devoid of any affection and evidently demeaning, a fact that was not missed by most people.
In fact, in the video, one can hear some Congress loyalist saying that this clip of Rahul Gandhi cutting the cake along with former PM Manmohan Singh should go out to the media. Ignoring the brazen and callous attitude shown by Rahul in the video itself, seems like Pallavi Ghosh has obliged.
There was a certain arrogance in Rahul Gandhi’s behaviour. If Ghosh is telling the truth and Rahul Gandhi indeed regards Singh as a father figure, then his behaviour certainly does not reflect the basic ‘Sanskar’ that is inculcated in every Indian as a child. If he actually does regard him as such and still treats him that way, then God forbid, it makes Rahul Gandhi come across as even worse than he already does.
Pallavi Ghosh’s article was most likely meant to be damage control in light of the release of the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister. The trailer predictably shows the Gandhis in an extremely poor light while exonerating the former Prime Minister. The propaganda would have indeed been far more believable had Rahul Gandhi not treated Manmohan Singh rudely at the foundation day celebrations. But after it, the article appears rather ridiculous.
We do not have to regard people as a father figure to observe the most basic courtesies while interacting with elders. Rahul Gandhi’s behaviour lacks even that. It is consistent with the manner the family has treated Manmohan Singh all these years, as a prop to further their own political interests.