Nailing the lie

 

MINISTER of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar has nailed Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s lie in the most appropriate manner. Not only did he explain the outcome of his recent visit to the United States at the time of the inaugural of President Mr. Donald Trump in his second coming, but also stated that Mr. Gandhi was indulging in lie-telling about India and its most important functionary, that is Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. Such attempts only malign the country’s image abroad, Dr. Jaishankar has stated unambiguously -- and of course truthfully. It is most unfortunate that Congress leader Mr. Rahul Gandhi has no other business than to keep trying to prove that everything the Prime Minister does is wrong and to the detriment of the country.

 

For the past ten years, Mr. Rahul Gandhi has done nothing else -- constructively and creatively. All he knows to do is to try to malign the image of the Prime Minister and India at every possible forum -- at home and abroad. That is exactly what Dr. Jaishankar has said -- about how the country’s image is hurt due to such ugly and petty shenanigans. When Mr. Narendra Modi became the prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party and its leadership tried to malign him as a sectoral and sectarian leader with no national image. A tea-seller boy could never become Prime Minister -- “Never, never, never”, a Congress leader had said. That bragging proved to be utterly wrong. Then ahead of the 2019 elections, the Congress launched the Chowkidar Chor Hai campaign -- in India and abroad -- and invited for itself a terrible electoral outcome (the worst in history).

 

Then came the campaign that the BJP would alter the Constitution made by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. That did work for a while but failed to make any impact in the legislative polls a few months later. And now has come the narrative that Dr. Jaishankar went to the US to ‘manage’ an invitation for Mr. Modi to visit the US. The falsehood in this propaganda, too, now stands exposed. Dr. Jaishankar as well as other BJP leaders have proved point by point that all Mr. Gandhi knows to do is to indulge in spreading falsehood about the Government and the Prime Minister. They have stated clearly that Mr. Rahul Gandhi has indulged in deliberate lie-telling that has the potential to malign the country’s image in the world.

 

Because Mr. Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, the world takes his words seriously and displays a tendency to consider his statements as the ones based on facts. So, when Mr. Gandhi talks ill of the Prime Minister, the world listens in rapt attention. And when Mr. Gandhi urges people in foreign lands to help the Opposition in restoring democracy in the country, the world tends to feel that a lot of things are amiss in India. Dr. Jaishankar and others in the Government and the BJP-NDA have stated clearly that Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s lie-telling will only malign his own image and not that of the country and the Minister. Yet, at the same time, Dr. Jaishankar has expected Mr. Rahul Gandhi to give up his cheap conduct and behave more responsibly. That, however, may never happen because Mr. Rahul Gandhi is indulging in spreading falsehood deliberately. He is a smart man and does a lot of things with purpose. Fortunately for the country, Mr. Rahul Gandhi stands dully exposed and may start paying his sins soon. For, his refusal to learn the right lessons even after political debacle will earn him only popular dislike and nothing else.