— N. Rangarajan, Mumbai.
When everyone, the media, people, politicians et all were concentrating on the Waqf bill, a master strategy I saw in the Lok Sabha yesterday.
Waqf bill was passed at around 2 am on 03.04.25, Thursday. Nobody moved out of Lok Sabha. It created a suspicion for me. I continued to be awake and watch what’s going to happen. Despite sleepy like the TN MPs, I had a face wash and fresh to watch the suspense unfold. Oh my goodness!
Manipur was taken up for discussion. Opposition demanded postponement but speaker was not yielding. One TN female MP cried at the top of the voice.
Speaker just rejected her request. Sashi Tharoor requested the speaker.
I’m Birla candidly told him to speak or lose the chance to speak.
Amit bhai initiated with a soft voice but with full enthusiasm. The whole treasury bench were present showing full enthusiasm after the passing of the Waqf bill. Shah delved into the nuances of the Manipur issue and handled meticulously. In between he warned if the opposition wants to politicise them I will give a political answer.
There was steadied silence and Amit bhai took full advantage of the situation and established government’s stand firmly. By that time the opposition benches were getting deserted. Slowly one by one retired for their sleep at their rooms.
I could see hardly any presence of the opposition. Nearly nil from TN. Sashi Tharoor stood to say something on Manipur. It was a damp squib. It was as if he was playing second fiddle to Amit bhai.
What a strategy by the BJP! Great! Struck when the whole opposition was tired, un enthusiastic, energy less and weak and surrendered. The LOP and his sister were absent right from the morning when such a serious matter on Waqf was in discussion.
The Cong looked like the General ran away from the battle field leaving the foot soldiers to fence. They just crumbled. The treasury won the war effortlessly. Without firing a bullet the opposition was bled. The opposition seems to have surrendered before the start of the challenge.
MPs were talking irrelevant things. A. Raja was talking about a female member in TN Waqf board. Dayanidhi is as talking about Air India sale only to be warned by the speaker the discussion is about Waqf bill.
Akhilesh Yadav talking about firing and FIR on Karsevaks. Another SP MP talking about Muslims are the Maalik. Clueless or caught in the well laid trap the opposition lost all credibility in front of their own people. Lost all the narratives and images built only to fall like a pack of cards.
They have to look beyond 2029. What’s stunning is with 240 a party is playing in front foot. Thinking about what they could do when a better position after 2029. Waqf is done along with Manipur.
Politics is never a straight line. It surely has its own twists and turns and of course with bumps in between.
