The President’s address to the joint session of the two Houses of Parliament kicks off the Budget Session.
The President’s address to the joint session of the two Houses of Parliament kicks off the Budget Session. It is typically an enumeration of the government’s achievements and the policy outlook for the year ahead, and is prepared by the government. The motion of thanks to the President sums up the parliamentary debate on that document.
On behalf of the government the Prime Minister replies to the debate, and is expected to dwell on the specific points raised by the Opposition parties. Mr Modi hardly did any of that. Indeed, from that perspective, the PM’s reply appeared about as sterile as the President’s address itself, though it dripped with sarcasm against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
It was evident that in his reply on Thursday Mr Modi was skipping questions about his government’s performance, and going political instead in the run-up to the Assembly elections in five states coming up in just a few weeks.
The PM targeted Mr Gandhi without mentioning his name. The Congress leader was widely thought to have made a notable speech — with humour and wit and catchy phrases — the previous day in which he focused on the government not living up to key promises made last year, leading many to think that he was in a new avatar — self-assured and well-prepared. But Mr Modi went personal in response, saying some people grew in age but did not mature, and spoke from an inferiority complex. Earlier Prime Ministers have not gone down that road.
In order to turn the tables on the Congress, the PM quoted his predecessors — Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi — to urge that the Opposition should question the government but not obstruct Parliament. But these things are context-specific and raise as many questions as they answer.
Mr Gandhi raised sharp questions on the government’s promises in respect of black money, unemployment, high prices of essentials that the poor consume. He also made points concerning Pakistan — saying that Mr Modi’s sudden visit to Lahore got Islamabad out of the “small cage” in which the UPA government had placed it after the Mumbai attack — and the Naga accord. There is considerable questioning on these issues and the government would have done well to amplify its views.
The Congress leader’s speech appears to have found its mark. Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley sought to strike back the same day, but their observations were non-specific, essentially meant to wound Mr Gandhi — a tactic advanced the following day by the PM himself.
A little less focus on overt politics and point-scoring, and more attention on the unglamorous work of government, alone is the way forward. To retrieve the Budget Session, it would be useful if the government genuinely reached out to the Opposition and engaged in fair give and take.
