Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the government's refusal to allow a debate in Parliament on the bill to repeal three farm laws owed to its sense of guilt and reluctance to let the real reason for enacting the regressive laws get exposed.
The Congress leader contended that the government lacked the guts to stand up for its decisions because Prime Minister Narendra Modi was controlled by outside forces that were responsible for the farm laws, demonetisation, flawed GST and other decisions.
“The government is terrified. They know they are wrong. The discussion would have focused on the 700 farmers who died and the real forces behind the farm laws. The discussion would be on the Lakhimpur incident and MSP,” Rahul said.
An SUV belonging to Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni is alleged to have deliberately mowed down four protesting farmers and a journalist in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, in October.
Asked where the need for a debate was when the laws were being repealed, Rahul shot back: "What is the need for Parliament then? Close it."
At the Rajya Sabha's business advisory committee, Opposition members got angry when Union minister Piyush Goyal said "why should we unnecessarily keep debating" when the laws were being repealed.
They told Goyal that this was the mindset that had brought the government to a situation where it had to repeal laws it had passed.
Many Opposition members have the impression that both the Rajya Sabha Chairperson and the Lok Sabha Speaker felt a debate should be allowed but the government was rigid.
Rahul said: "The repeal of these laws shows the government couldn't face the power of the people, represented by the farmers in this case. The might of three-four crony capitalists couldn't stand before the might of the farmers."
He said the farm laws cannot be seen in isolation. "The government is captured by a group of people - three-four crony capitalists -- that is against the people of this country. The same forces pushed the farm laws, demonetisation, flawed GST and didn't allow the government to give money to the poor," Rahul said.
"The Prime Minister is an instrument of these forces. The Prime Minister attacked the farmers for them."
Rahul underlined that the Prime Minister had apologised, which he said amounted to a concession of mistake. "Which means his actions triggered protests and 700 farmers died. The compensation to the dead will obviously have to be given," Rahul said.
The Congress had sought a condolence resolution in the Lok Sabha but Speaker Om Birla rejected the demand.
The Congress led the charge against the government on the first day of the session by protesting in front of the Gandhi statue on Parliament premises.
It echoed the farmers' demands for legally guaranteed minimum support prices for crops, dismissal of Teni and compensation for the families of farmers who had died during the yearlong protest.
The Congress has managed to keep most of the friendly parties with itself despite the differences with Trinamul.
Many Opposition members felt that Trinamul might get isolated and hoped it would change its mind and join them.
An MP said: "What is good is that the Congress is not attacking Trinamul. At the meeting of Opposition leaders called by Mallikarjun Kharge this morning, there was no mention of Trinamul's absence. In private conversations, too, Congress leaders are not attacking Trinamul and are only insisting the party should review its stance at least on parliamentary strategy."
While the Opposition disunity would certainly have attracted attention on Monday, Rahul stepped up to change the narrative by launching an attack on the government.
Many leaders recalled how Rahul's involvement had ensured a powerful display of Opposition unity in the last session and said his leadership could again help sustain the pressure on the government this session.
