I am not
saying this. Rahul Gandhi has been delivering speeches emphasizing these
words. Potato and potato chips are the recent inductions (a year or so) after
the FDI coronation of ‘his’ government.
Computer,
mobile phone and telecom revolution in India have been pet words in many of his
speeches and they continue to be so, patronizing, sometimes, Mr.
Sam Pitroda.
There were
some other tag words but Rahul is not talking them right now. Given the
similar streak of his speeches, they are bound to appear in some other speech
by his speechwriter, I am sure.
Also, there
are some whom his speechwriter is not going to recall again. There was once a
Kalawati. Named by someone else, but famed by Rahul Gandhi. Rahul visited her
hut, was appalled at her misery, and mentioned her in his ‘fiery’ speech in the
Parliament.
“I was
thinking about what I want to say and I came to a simple conclusion. I decided
that it is important at this point not to speak as a member of a political
party but to speak as an Indian.”
I would go
to the house of Kalawati. I am glad you find that funny. But
Kalawati is a person whose husband committed suicide. So, I would urge
you to respect her. I would take you to the house of Kalawati, which I
also visited three days ago. Kalawati is a woman with nine children whose
husband committed suicide three years ago. Her husband committed suicide
because he was dependent on only one crop, the cotton crop. When I asked
Kalawati as to why her husband committed suicide, her answer was that he was
dependent on only one source of income. … (Interruptions) …* I asked Kalavati as to what did you do. Kalavati responded
by telling me that I diversify … (Interruptions) … I spoke to two poor
families. One of them was called Mrs. Kala… (Interruptions) Mrs. Kala
said that she had diversified her income sources and she has used that to
stabilize her family and bring up her nine children.
Sir, at the
very least, nuclear energy is going to act like Mrs. Kala’s pond and it is going
to act as an insurance policy for this country in times of need. At its
maximum, nuclear energy is going to act like Mrs. Kala’s main crop.
This was the
career phase of Rahul Gandhi when he evoked expectations that he would practice
a different and positive style of politics. But it didn’t take much longer
before it ebbed away.
"I
would take you to the house of Kalawati ... a woman with nine children whose
husband committed suicide. I would urge you to respect her." When Congress
General Secretary Rahul Gandhi quoted her example in his July 21, 2008, Lok
Sabha speech, describing how she had diversified her income, Kalawati became
the symbol of rural resurgence. But Rahul didn't return to check on her. In
2010, Kalawati's son-in-law, plagued by debts, committed suicide. In September,
it was her daughter-the fourth death in her family in the last six years.
As Rahul started
taking more and more of the political public sphere, he needed to talk more and
what he needed to do above all was to do some real ‘walk the talk’.
But the
example of ‘Kalawati’ symbolizes what had been happening was not in-sync. Words
were coming fluently but equally superfluous was the support from the reality
based ground activity.
To
continue..
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/