Anita Katyal | Neighbours No Longer Come 1st; TMC One-ups Cong on Sindoor

The concept of “Neighbourhood First” has been a cornerstone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy. He has spoken about this on several occasions over the years that he has been in power. He last referred to his government’s commitment to its “Neighbourhood Policy” during his visit to Sri Lanka in April. And yet when the Modi government sent out a host of multi-party delegations to countries across the globe to expose Pakistan’s role in abetting terrorism, India’s neighbours did not figure on the list. No delegation was sent to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan or Bangladesh. Several explanations are on offer for these omissions. Cynics are quick to point out that the government’s decision reaffirms that India takes its neighbours for granted. Besides, they said, India’s current relations with two key neighbours — Nepal and Bangladesh — can hardly be described as cordial. Bangladesh is upset with India for giving asylum to its deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while Kathmandu suspects India is encouraging the ongoing pro-monarchy protests in the Himalayan kingdom. As for the other countries, maybe the government decided to skip Sri Lanka as the Prime Minister was there two months ago while a trip to the Maldives is presently under consideration.

The jury is still out on whether the multi-party delegations sent to various foreign capitals to rally support for India’s battle against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism succeeded in their mission. Irrespective of their party affiliation, the Indian delegates sought to put their best foot forward in presenting India’s viewpoint to world leaders. However, there have been murmurs in Delhi that there were occasions when it did not appear that the delegates were on a serious diplomatic mission following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 persons were killed and India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. For instance, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma’s decision to belt out a song during a formal dinner meeting in Algeria elicited a strong reaction on social media though the hosts smiled politely and clapped appreciatively. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor followed suit with his rendition of the old Hindi song “Ek ajnabi haseena se mulaqat ho gayi” at a social gathering in the US.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments at a recent party meeting in Madhya Pradesh have created a buzz in the state’s political circles. In the course of his speech, Rahul Gandhi mentioned that senior leader Kamal Nath had once told him that horses can be placed in two categories — those used in a baraat and the others which are meant for racing. In the Congress, he said, a horse better suited for a “baraat” is fielded in a race and vice-versa. He then went on to say that there is a third category — a langda ghoda — who needs to be retired. This naturally led to animated discussion among Congress workers about the identity of the langda ghoda and whether Rahul Gandhi was referring to any specific leader. Since Rahul Gandhi had credited his initial remarks to former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, it is being assumed that this is a message for the veteran leader to hang up his boots.

Though the INDIA bloc parties have attempted to present a united front over the demand for a special session of Parliament on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, all is not well between the Congress and the Trinamul Congress. As Rahul Gandhi stepped up the demand for a special session, the Trinamul Congress hurriedly called a few party MPs and released a photograph of their meeting in the Central Hall of the old Parliament building to claim credit for initiating this demand. Not just this but it was also the Trinamul Congress’ idea to hold a joint press conference at Delhi’s Constitution Club to ensure the party got credit for pressuring the Modi government for a special session. The party even booked a hall to be one up over the Congress. As it happens, the Modi government beat them to it by announcing the dates of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, to be held from July 21 to August 14. As the Congress rightly pointed out, this is the first time the dates of a session have been announced so early. The objective here is to kill the Opposition demand for a special session.

While the Opposition parties are busy squabbling with each other, the Modi government continues to score over them. Take the case of the Opposition demand for a caste census. The government initially brushed aside the Opposition campaign but quickly changed tack by agreeing to conduct a caste census. The move robbed the Opposition, particularly Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, of an issue on which it could corner the ruling dispensation. Changing tactics, the Congress then demanded that the government provide a time frame for the proposed caste census. With the Centre now finalising a schedule for the next census and caste enumeration, the Opposition finds itself bereft of issues to attack the Modi government. It’s back to the drawing board for the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal as they prepare for a high-stakes electoral battle in Bihar.