OPINION | Allegations need proof, abuses don't
Rahul Gandhi knows he cannot provide substantive proof to authenticate the charges that he levelled against Narendra Modi and his minister. He knows that it would be difficult to authenticate his charges.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has again lowered the decorum and dignity of Parliamentary debate by levelling baseless and false allegations to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Participating in the debate of the Union Budget, Rahul Gandhi, in a sharp attack, alleged that Modi "has sold Bharat Mata and imperilled the future of 1.4 billion Indians by surrendering to the US" while agreeing on the trade deal.
Using the metaphor of grip and lock in jujutsu martial art, Rahul alleged, the "US has taken Modi's neck in its grip". He mentioned the Epstein files row and alleged that the names of Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and industrialist Anil Ambani have figured in the emails that have been released by the US Department of Justice. There was no substantive proof to substantiate Rahul Gandhi's charges, and the allegations that he made on the floor of the House were against parliamentary rules.
Rahul Gandhi knows he cannot place substantive proof to authenticate the charges that he levelled against Narendra Modi and his minister. He knows that it would be difficult to authenticate his charges. Then why did he take this route? Already, the Lok Sabha secretariat has expunged all objectionable words used by Rahul Gandhi from the proceedings of the House.
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was quick to respond. He said the e-mail in the Epstein files in which he has been named relates to November 2014, when he had already retired from the Indian Foreign Service and was working for the International Peace Institute. Puri said that he had sent the email to the founder of the LinkedIn social networking site, in which he had written that LinkedIn should invest more in India because the internet economy has made fast progress after Modi became the Prime Minister. "What is wrong with that?" asked Puri.
The Petroleum Minister said that he had gone to the US in 2009 and had stayed there for nearly eight years, during which he had met Jeffrey Epstein three or four times. "But these meetings were not one-to-one, and Rahul Gandhi should know the difference between his name and the names of other accused that have cropped up in the Epstein files", Puri said.
The problem with Rahul Gandhi is that whenever he levels allegations, they do not stick. The reason: there is no substantive evidence or documents to prove. He fails to substantiate his allegations. Whether it relates to the purchase of Rafale fighter planes from France or allegations of tampering with electronic voting machines, Rahul could never substantiate his allegations with proof. The same seems to be the case relating to Hardeep Singh Puri and Narendra Modi. In fact, Rahul has sought to make a mountain out of a molehill. American sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein's sleazy connection with the big and the powerful in the US, UK and Europe is the headache of the US and the authorities there are already dealing with all such cases. There is no need for India to meddle in such matters.
People who know Narendra Modi can say, it is not in his nature to bow, to fear or to surrender. Had Modi opted to bow to Donald Trump in the matter of US tariff, a deal could have been struck months ago, and Indian exporters would not have faced 50 per cent US tariff. Trump himself conceded that Modi is "a tough negotiator". It is no secret that India has always kept its head high not only vis-a-vis the US, but the rest of the world. People who stay in the US and Europe can vouch how India's prestige has enhanced over the last 11 years. For Rahul to allege that 'Modi has sold India', or that the 'US has caught Modi by his neck', are meaningless. There is a difference between levelling allegation and hurling abuse. For hurling abuses, one does not need evidence.
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