The idea of India and what India has become — Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday sketched in the Lok Sabha stark portraits of the two Indias in an extraordinary address that stood out for its clarity and forthrightness.

Instead of a “Union of States” that converses and negotiates with its citizens, “the idea of the king has come back. A shahenshah, a master”, Rahul told the House during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address.

Frequently interrupted by the treasury benches but maintaining his composure, the Congress MP focused on painstakingly explaining how the RSS-BJP’s divisive politics weakened India. So incensed was the Modi government that it later sought an apology from Rahul for his remarks on the judiciary and the Election Commission.

There were two Indias now, one that was extremely rich and powerful and another that was unemployed and poor, Rahul said, blaming this on the destruction of small and medium industries as well as the informal sector and the creation of monopolies in the formal sector. He said he would talk about “two monopolists” and named “Ambaniji” and “Adaniji”.

Contending that the RSS and the BJP failed to understand what India, being a “Union of States”, meant because of their flawed concept of nationalism, he advised the central government to restart conversations with the states and the peoples to evolve a partnership in governance.

“India is described in the Constitution as a Union of States and not as a nation. One cannot rule over the people of a state in India. Different languages and cultures cannot be suppressed. It is a partnership, not a kingdom,” Rahul said.

“No matter what your fantasies are, India is not a kingdom. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir… have their different languages, different cultures, different histories. India cannot be ruled by a stick of the Centre. Whenever it has been tried, the stick was broken.”

“That is the only way India has been ruled. You can look at Ashoka, Maurya, the country has always been ruled by conversation and negotiation.”

He said: “The idea of the king has come back. A shahenshah, a master. Instruments of conversation between the states and the people — the institutions — are under attack. People of Tamil Nadu will cry NEET-NEET-NEET and you won’t listen. They don’t have a voice in your framework. Farmers from Punjab will sit on the road during Corona for one year. They will die but the king doesn’t listen. This confused understanding of the nation is playing havoc with the country. Attempts to curb judiciary, use of Pegasus are the instruments to destroy the voice of the states. You are attacking the people with this. My fear is that the attack on the institutional framework will get a backlash.”

Urging caution, Rahul added: “My great grandfather was jailed for 15 years. My grandmother was shot 32 times. My father was blown to bits. So I know what I am talking about. You are fiddling with something very, very dangerous. I am advising you to stop. If you don't stop you will create a problem. The problem has already started.”

Referring to the creation of the two Indias -– one for the rich and the other for the poor-- Rahul explained how the gap between the poor and the rich was growing over the past few years.

“Three crore people lost their jobs last year. The small and medium industries which create jobs were destroyed. We lifted 27 crore people out of poverty but you pushed 23 crore back into poverty. You destroyed informal sector and created monopolies in formal sector.”

He named Adani and Ambani while reeling out how all the national assets were being transferred to them.

“I want to advise the PM that you are making two Indias. Please start working towards bringing the two Indias together. Stop sending the wealth of India to a chosen few.…”
The government later fielded law and justice minister Kiren Rijiju on Twitter to hit back at Rahul.

Not only as India’s law minister but also as an ordinary citizen, I condemn what Mr. Rahul Gandhi has said about India’s judiciary and EC. These are vital institutions of our democracy. Mr. Rahul Gandhi should immediately apologise to the people, judiciary and EC,’’ Rijiju tweeted.

There are now two Indias. There is no longer one India. There are two Indias. On Indiais for the extremely rich people, for those who have immense wealth, for those who have immense power, for those who do not need a job, for those who do not need water connections, electricity connections but for those who control the heart beat of the country. And then, there is another India. There is the India of the rich and the India of the poor and the gulf between them is increasing…. The poor India does not have employment today. The presidential address did not have one word on unemployment. Today, all over India the youths are hunting for jobs…. Last year, 3 crore youths lost their jobs. You talk about giving employment. In 2021, 3 crore youths have lost employment. Unemployment is th highest in 50 years.

How were two Indias born? Jobs are generated in the small, medium and informal sector. But in the past seven years, you have mounted one attack after another on these sectors. Demonetisation, wrong GST and lack of support during the pandemic.

The result: the incme of 84 per cent people has fallen and they are fast heading towards poverty. In 10 years, the UPA brought 27 crore people out of poverty, but you have pushed 23 crore people back into poverty. What is happening? In the formal sector,monopolies are being created. Take any sector. I will talk about two monopolists. In the time of Cornona, many different variants are coming – Delta, omicron… This is a Double A variant that is spreading through India’s entire economy. I won’t name him. There is an individual to whom all of India’s ports, airports, power transmission, mining , green energy, gas distribution, edible oil….. whatever is done in India, there you can see Adaniji. On the other side, Ambaniji has a monopoly in petrochemicals, telecom, retail, e-commerce…. The entire wealth is going into the hands of select people.

THE TWO INDIAS

Two Indias — one for the rich and the other for the poor — have been created and the gap between them is widening, Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
He also lamented that the President’s address made no mention of the growing unemployment. Rahul referred to the recent flare-up in Bihar after 12.5 million youngsters applied for 35,000 jobs in the railways and allegations of a bungled recruitment process were levelled.

Ajay Kumar Mishra (in Reuters picture above) stays in Patna’s Kashi Lodge where dozens of residents, mostly from poor rural families, have been preparing for competitive exams for government jobs for at least five years.

Mishra told Reuters last week that he had been a big Narendra Modi devotee and cheered when he came to Patna to seek votes before the 2014 general election.

“We poured our heart out for him,” said Mishra, thumping his chest as others crowded the narrow balcony by his room door. “Now he will have to listen to the same youth who are hurting so much.”

“Does he want us to sell tea and pakodas? Maybe that’s what we will have to do eventually. Time is running out for us, we will soon be too old to apply for government jobs.”

Mishra says he has to find a job quickly because his father will retire as a university worker next year, and the burden of taking care of his family will soon fall on him.

“It’s now or never for us,” he said, books of current affairs and other topics strewn across another bed in his room and on its cement shelves, watched over by a picture of the goddess of learning, Saraswati.

(Reporting by Reuters)