The Budget Session this time has been extra-ordinarily stormy. On the one side, the Opposition sought to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing two principal issues related to documents that were brought to light in recent days – one being army chief NM Naravane’s memoirs; and the other in the form of exposes from a controversial and high-flying American criminal and financier, the late Jeffrey Epstein. On the other hand, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has earned the opposition wrath over his alleged attempts to shield the prime minister from an opposition onslaught over the two issues. Clearly, both PM Modi and Speaker Birla have done enough to provoke the opposition, which led to the submission of a no-confidence motion against the Speaker by nearly 120 MPs. While these MPs are mostly from the Congress, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has avoided being a signatory, saying such an action on his part against the chair would undermine the spirit of democracy.
The ‘released’ comments of Naravane against the prime minister included his observation that the Modi government was found wanting in adequately organising the defence of the nation during the Chinese PLA offensive in Galwan Valley in 2020. The death of at least 20 Indian soldiers in action there added to the pathos. That the PM chose to avoid a reply in Parliament and that he even avoided facing the house are serious matters. It, however, is natural for the treasury benches to defend the PM; and it’s understandable that defence minister Rajnath Singh sought to thwart a discussion, as he too has been accused by Naravane of an effective abdication of responsibility at the critical hour of national security. The Epstein files, released in the US after a legal tussle, runs into millions of pages of documents as also visuals, putting the high and mighty across nations in a poor light; and this included Modi too, whose name has been repeatedly mentioned in different contexts. That President Trump has also been put in a similar plight is another matter.
Among the reports that attracted wide publicity is that Epstein ran a high-end prostitution racket supplying women and possibly underage girls too to those in high positions and visiting dignitaries. Here, the nation had been alerted in advance by former Union minister and seasoned parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy that the Epstein files were coming and this could put the prime minister on the defensive. Modi, in response, chose to erect a tower of silence. At the same time, there are those who dismiss such indulgences by world leaders as private, personal and inconsequential. A problem, however, is the difference between ground realities and public perceptions of morality. Too much need not be read into such ‘exposes’ as long as national interests have not been compromised. At the same time, Modi is duty-bound to explain to the nation whether or not the army chief spoke the truth. Such observations from a top defence authority have stunned the nation. They cast aspersions on the competence of Modi and Rajnath Singh to occupy their exalted chairs. Silence cannot be a responsible response. More so in a democracy.
