Modi's Rajiv Gandhi remark widens schism between BJP and opposition

In the middle of election season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to make an extremely acerbic attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi by invoking the allegations of corruption against his father and former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi.

Speaking at an election rally in eastern Uttar Pradesh on May 4, Modi countered the allegations of corruption that have been levelled against him by the Congress in the Rafale deal by raking up the memory of the graft charges against Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors deal, which had led to his electoral defeat.

Modi said that while Rajiv had been dubbed “Mr Clean” by his courtiers, he died as “Bhrashtachari No. 1” in a veiled reference to the Bofors scam. His attempt was to hit back at the Congress and especially Rahul over the allegations of irregularities against him in the purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France. Rahul has been insistent in using the 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' slogan against Modi during the election campaign with reference to the Rafale allegations, although it bears an uncanny similarity to the 'Gali Gali Mein Shor Hai' campaign that was launched by Rajiv's detractors with regard to the Bofors charges.

However, Modi may have overshot in his speech in terms of what is the acceptable limit when it comes to attacking one's political opponents. The statement has invited intense criticism from several quarters over having crossed the limits of decency, especially, since it involved attacking a person who is no more. The controversy over the Rajiv comments could even work towards strengthening the opposition's description of him as a figure of hate. And this may have political ramifications for Modi, especially since the Lok Sabha elections are on.

The reaction from Rahul attempted to project Modi's statement as reflective of his own desperation. It also sought to distinguish the Congress leader as being distinct from the 'politics of hate' which Rahul and his party have accused the prime minister of practising.

“Modi Ji, The battle is over. Your Karma awaits you,” Rahul declared in a tweet, clearly conveying that the statement reflected Modi's frustration at how the elections were going, and declaring that the game was over for him.

Rahul had further tweeted: “Projecting your inner beliefs about yourself onto my father won't protect you. All my love and a huge hug. Rahul”. The last bit was an apparent effort at projecting Rahul as the anti-thesis of Modi in not using the idiom of hate in his political utterances.

The widespread condemnation of Modi for his remarks on Rajiv in fact saw the opposition uniting in criticising the prime minister. The Opposition leaders mentioned, in their criticism, that Rajiv, who was assassinated by the LTTE, had laid down his life for the country, and remarked that Modi had this time stooped very low indeed.

The Congress has ramped up its offensive against Modi in the light of his controversial statement. It has approached the Election Commission seeking action against Modi over his remarks on Rajiv. “The statement by Prime Minister is not only the violation of Model Code of Conduct but also an insult of a Bharat Ratna awardee martyr. Hence, we appeal the EC to take action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by barring him from speaking at public rallies,” Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee said in a letter.

Modi's comments on Rajiv have only widened the schism between the BJP and the parties opposed to it and infused greater bitterness in the proceedings.