Sonia-Smriti spat: Breaking the 'don't talk to me' impasse

Regrettably, but not surprisingly, for both camps, the past continues to hold the future hostage

The Sonia Gandhi-Smriti Irani faceoff in Parliament clearly depicts the distrust and antipathy between Narendra Modi's BJP and the Gandhis. This is the same Sonia Gandhi who has kept her cool and smiled through jibes against her foreign accent and jokes about her political missteps, such as the "I have 272" claim.

There is the famous picture of her sitting in the front row of Central Hall as three former PMs sat giggling behind her. During media interviews, she is the first to point out that she was well aware of the fact that the Opposition called her "a reader and not a leader". But that was when the BJP was led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, and a time when despite all political opposition, there was a basic level of old-world courtesy cutting across party lines. It was understood that political sparring aside, there was a personal line that was not to be crossed.

That line is blurred today. And the fault lies on both sides. More on that later. But don't forget that Sonia has made three visits to the Enforcement Directorate office in the last few days. Her son Rahul, too, has been summoned repeatedly. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad recently pointed out that "even in wars kings used to give directions that women should not be attacked and those not keeping well should be spared".

That was the old-school way of doing business between the government and the Opposition and one that was followed during both Vajpayee's time and the UPA. However, Azad's plea did not cut ice with the BJP, with the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi commenting that "everyone is equal before the law. Is the Congress president a superhuman being?"

Also Read: Irani shouted 'you don't know me, who I am' to Sonia: Congress

There is, of course, a backstory to this unease of doing business. And it dates back to the time when Sonia Gandhi ran the UPA government and Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat. It was the UPA that pursued the Gujarat riot cases against both Modi and Amit Shah. It was Sonia who had referred to the then Gujarat CM as "maut ka saudagar" in an election campaign. For their part, the Gandhis can never forget that Modi had once referred to the Congress president as a "jersey cow" and Rahul Gandhi as a "hybrid' calf". The barbs on both sides were lethal, with the intent to hurt.

But all this was on the campaign field and at a time when they did not have to deal with each other on national governance issues. Modi was just one of the BJP CMs and did not call the shots within the central BJP. Only now, he does, and that's a crucial amendment to the rules of engagement. Regrettably but not surprisingly, the past continues to hold the future hostage from both camps.

Does anyone recall even one social exchange, one exchange of pleasantries or one phone call between the PM and the Gandhis - leaving aside Rahul Gandhi's awkward hug on the floor of the House? And don't forget, a wink followed that hug. (After some research, I have been able to come up with one instance when the PM dialled Sonia Gandhi. This was in April 2020 during lockdown as the world battled coronavirus. At that time, he had reached out to every single opposition leader and chief minister. Sonia was one of the people on his list. The newspapers had reported this outreach as a `first of its kind' gesture).

Another reason for the constant acrimony is the fact that the PM remains the BJP's star campaigner during each and every assembly election, and every six months or so, there is a state poll. During his campaign speeches, Modi takes on the Gandhis directly and vice versa. As a Congress spokesperson pointed out, "After that when the PM returns to Delhi, he expects us to cooperate with him on governance. It's not a smooth transition."

Earlier during Manmohan Singh's time or even during the Vajpayee era, the PM was not the chief campaigner in the assembly polls and so was able to put some distance between the campaign rhetoric and governance talk. That line, too, is blurred today between the Gandhis and the PM. For every election, we have Modi himself leading the charge in favour of a "Congress mukt Bharat". How does he then expect the same party to sit across the treasury benches a few days later and run the House? Yes, the current government has a brute majority and technically doesn't need the Opposition's help to pass the bills, but look at the optics.

Also Read: Sonia-Smriti face-off: 'Rashtrapatni' remark draws fresh battle line between Congress and BJP

There is also an unsaid message down the ranks (of both parties) that confrontations rather than overtures should be the de facto means of communication. Rahul Gandhi has said this openly at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meetings when he laments the fact that he is the only one taking on the PM directly. On the other side, too, those ministers who take on the Congress, especially the Gandhis, are given rousing applause on social media by the party faithful.

Even the amicable and otherwise very diplomatic Hardeep Puri, and the technocrat-turned-BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, do not pull any punches when it comes to the Congress leadership. Look at Chandrasekhar's latest tweet on Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's comments: "Shameless Congress and dynast cronies".

Moreover, if the Congress is to be believed, during the Irani-Sonia faceoff, it was the former who interjected when Sonia was talking to Rama Devi, a senior BJP MP. Sonia was asking Rama Devi as to why the BJP was chanting slogans against her when it was Chowdhury who had made the controversial comments. Rama Devi apparently pointed out that this was because it was Sonia who had appointed him as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha. Sonia also added that Chowdhury had since apologised (she said the same to ANI right before entering the House). Congress leaders claim that at this point, Smriti walked up to them, stating that it was her who had taken Sonia's name, and indicated that any questions should be directed at her.

According to an Opposition MP present there, Smriti addressed Sonia with a "How may I help you?" Given the history between the two, I am guessing that the query could not have been in the spirit that any service industry official would use and still get to keep their job, but I may be wrong since one is relying on hearsay. This was rebutted with Sonia's now famous "Don't talk to me" admonishment. Later Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman briefed reporters, stating that some of the BJP MPs felt "threatened" by the Congress president's "aggression". The battle lines were drawn, with both sides briefing the media, setting off a 'she said vs she said' narrative of heckling and intimidation.

Will there be calm after this storm? As the political winds swirl, the Monsoon Session has certainly lived up to its name with the turbulence that incidentally happened when the House was not in session - but this is one proceeding that will undoubtedly impact the rest of the session.

(Priya Sahgal is Senior Executive Editor, NewsX)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.