Speaker Prevails

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi failed to read out excerpts he claimed were from an unpublished book by former Army Chief General MM Naravane in the face of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s determined insistence that rules governing use of printed material be followed. He told the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in no uncertain terms that he would have to authenticate the book he intends to quote and cannot refer to what is purported to be published. “If you want to speak in the House, you will need to adhere to the rules… I think you have come determined not to speak,” he told Gandhi. Gandhi had barely read a line before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh intervened and said he could state with full authority that the book under discussion had not been published.

Birla seemed to be in good form as he responded to Gandhi’s “request” that the chair tell him what to speak by pithily observing “I am not your adviser.” But even the line Rahul did read out was puzzling as it referred to the 2017 Doklam standoff at the India-China-Bhutan trijunction, but then mentioned a location in Ladakh. Though the incident and Rahul’s comments on India-China conflicts triggered a showdown with the treasury benches, the I.N.D.I.A. benches have been largely quiescent. Usually, the first week of a Parliament session is consumed by disruptions but the vote of thanks on the president’s address got off to a smooth start on February 2. An opposition leader said the animation and aggression in the previous sessions of Parliament are absent. The I.N.D.I.A. bloc washout in the Bihar polls has dampened spirits and there has been minimal coordination between allies.

Nabin Mission

It was no coincidence that newly elected BJP President Nitin Nabin was in West Bengal for two days on January 27 and 28. The state organisation was reviewed in Nabin’s discussions with party office bearers a day after he formally took charge in New Delhi. There is a view in the party that gaps in booth management hurt BJP in the last election. This time round, BJP state bosses reported that 60,000 of some 80,000 booth committees are in place. Nabin’s visit was intended to examine these claims closely and ensure party leaders work in unison.

DMK’s Vijay Headache

DMK is yet to act on Congress’ request for a panel to discuss seat-sharing and is unwilling to respond to the party’s demand for power-sharing after the Tamil Nadu elections that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc hopes to win. DMK is cool about power-sharing and the delay in formal seat discussions reflects the view in the party that there will only be a minor variation in the numbers. DMK’s much bigger worry is the emergence of actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and reports that the newbie outfit is threatening to take away a chunk of youth and Christian votes.

Observer Status

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is keeping a relatively low profile in parliament. She is in her first term as an MP and the leadership role is clearly Rahul’s as he is the leader of Opposition and his writ runs in the Congress organisation. Usually, she sticks to watching the house from her corner seat in the fourth row and while MPs look to engage with her, she is not always forthcoming. Prominent women MPs like NCP (Sharad Pawar)’s Supriya Sule and DMK’s Kanimozhi or Trinamool Congress’ Mahua Moitra can be seen interacting with other party leaders but Priyanka largely prefers her own company.

Toothless Bill

With Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot referring the controversial “hate speech” Bill to the president, a major initiative of the Congress government—seen as a bid to reign in Hindutva groups—has been consigned to cold storage. The Bill, which attracted criticism for being vague and sweeping, was opposed by BJP. Terms like “enmity, ill will and disharmony” are ill-defined and this, according to BJP, could easily become a means to muzzle the opposition and erode civil liberties.

In The Line of Baloch Fire

The extent of the disruption caused by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) attacks in cities and towns in the Pakistani province may never be fully known due to a clampdown by the Pakistani army and a near-total absence of independent reporting. But the attacks are a severe setback to the military as it raises questions about its ability to deal with determined Baloch resistance. Two of the videos released by BLA feature young women fidayeen who recorded messages calling for armed resistance prior to their alleged martyrdom.

Right Time and Name

There are many ways of deflecting a question. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took the short and crisp option when responding to Congress MP from Kishanganj Mohammad Jawed’s question about alleged shortfalls in the Aligarh Muslim University’s funding. Jawed suggested a bias in the matter, saying the university be renamed if that would restore funding. Pradhan responded to the insinuation and said the matter will be resolved at the “right time”. Speaker Om Birla then chimed in, noting that “the right time can be any time.”