If Parliament ever needed a reminder of why the Congress continues to dig itself into deeper irrelevance, Rahul Gandhi kindly delivered it—live, unfiltered, and in prime-time clarity. The Leader of the Opposition, who often sounds more like a leader of confusion, opened the debate on SIR with the confidence of a man who had skimmed the headline of a briefing note and proudly declared himself an expert.
Rahul’s first charge? The Election Commission has turned into a puppet of the NDA government. A serious allegation—until you remember that this very “puppet” presided over Congress victories in three states not too long ago. If the EC is indeed remote-controlled by the BJP or influenced by its parent body, RSS, someone clearly forgot to replace the batteries on polling day. When asked how his argument squares with Congress winning, the LoP simply refused to explain. Why ruin a good conspiracy theory with facts?
This is classic Congress playbook: throw mud, avoid logic, and hope something sticks on the evening news.
But what makes Rahul’s sermon on the sanctity of institutions particularly rich is the small matter of history—something the Congress scion treats like an optional chapter he is exempted from reading. For decades, it was his great-grandfather, grandmother, and father who amended the Constitution nearly 100 times, throttled federalism, politicised universities, destroyed service institutions, and presided over the darkest chapter in Indian democracy—the Emergency. During those not-so-golden days, freedoms were suspended, opposition leaders were jailed, and newspapers learned the meaning of “bend or break.”
Yet today, Rahul Gandhi warns India about institutional capture. That too by RSS (sic)! Irony has officially retired.
His ignorance stretches further. He seemed unaware—or perhaps conveniently forgetful—that Congress governments routinely appointed handpicked Election Commissioners who later enjoyed plush post-retirement appointments as Governors, Ambassadors, or Rajya Sabha MPs. T.N. Seshan, hailed today as a symbol of electoral authority, was initially pushed into the Commission by the very Congress that later tried to clip his wings once he stopped playing ball. But Rahul, in his typical style, wants us to believe institutional manipulation began in 2014.
Then came the comic relief. In his signature breathless style, Rahul claimed that India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has been “pleading” with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to arrange meetings for Prime Minister Modi. Even Jaishankar—normally a paragon of stoic diplomacy—would struggle to keep a straight face at this. India’s global stature under Modi is an open book: from G7 to G20, from the Quad to BRICS, India is courted, not carried. The bonhomie Modi enjoys with world leaders is visible to anyone who doesn’t live in a political time capsule.
The treasury benches, sensing the entertainment value, wisely allowed Rahul Gandhi to continue uninterrupted. Why silence a man so determined to embarrass himself? Except for a polite nudge from Kiren Rijiju—requesting the LoP to speak on the actual topic—the House listened in pin-drop silence, much like an audience at an open-mic comedy show waiting for the next punchline.
The English-Hindi hybrid rambling didn’t help. Social media had a field day asking whether Parliament should employ a translator to decode Rahul’s speeches into intelligible English. Perhaps AI could help someday—though even the most advanced algorithms may refuse the assignment.
Meanwhile, Congress loyalists like K.C. Venugopal dutifully nodded at every incoherent line, resembling a bhajan mandali in a trance. Their synchronized head-bobs could qualify as a new yoga pose: Uttam Chamchasan.
But the real tragedy is not the comedy—it is the missed opportunity. A debate on electoral reform deserved clarity, seriousness, and constructive proposals. Instead, India got conspiracy theories, historical amnesia, and a performance that would have made even stand-up comedians jealous. Parliament deserves better. The Opposition deserves better. India certainly deserves better.
Rahul Gandhi insists he is fighting to “save the Constitution.” If only he paused long enough to read what his own party did to it.
