Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha responded to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) recent mocking with a powerful quote from devotional songs for Lord Ram. Earlier in the day, Chadha was attacked by a crow on the Parliament premises, which the BJP made fun of by saying “Jooth Bole Kauwa Kaate,” roughly translating to “the crow bites the liar.”
In his response, Chadha quoted in Hindi, “रामचन्द्र कह गए सिया से ऐसा कलयुग आएगा, हंस चुगेगा दाना दुनका और कौवा मोती खाएगा’ …’आज तक सिर्फ़ सुना था, आज देख भी लिया’…’ (In Kalyug, the swan will peck at grains, and the crow will eat pearls…I had only heard it till date, today I have seen it too),” suggesting that he was the pearl as opposed to being the crow.
Chadha’s dig was aimed at the ruling BJP, which is facing a ‘no confidence motion’ moved by the Opposition in Parliament amidst the chaos over the Manipur issue.
The monsoon session of Parliament began last week, but both Houses have experienced disruptions due to the Opposition’s demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a detailed statement on the situation in Manipur, followed by a discussion on the matter.
Although the government agreed to discuss the Manipur issue, which has been plagued by ethnic violence since May 3, it dismissed the demand for Prime Minister Modi’s statement as a “caveat for disruption.”
In response, the Congress has moved a no-confidence motion against the government on behalf of the newly-formed Opposition grouping I.N.D.I.A to compel PM Modi to address the Manipur crisis. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has accepted the motion and stated that a date for discussion on the motion will be decided after consulting with party leaders.
While the no-confidence motion is expected to fail due to a lack of numbers, the Opposition hopes to win the battle of perception among the public by putting pressure on the government regarding the Manipur crisis.
By quoting devotional songs and cleverly responding to the BJP’s mocking, Raghav Chadha has managed to turn the tables on his opposition. It remains to be seen how the political scenario unfolds as tension continues to rise in Parliament.