The first discussion in the 16th Lok Sabha turned out to be almost an action replay of the election discourse, except that the Bharatiya Janata Party spoke from a position of strength on Tuesday when it initiated the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament.
While Rajiv Pratap Rudy of the BJP reflected the triumphalism in the party rank and file, Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress sought to drive home the message that his party may be down for now but not out. With Mr. Rudy repeatedly rubbing in the Congress’s decimation to the size of a regional party and scoffing at its hopes of returning to power, Mr. Kharge borrowed a leaf out of the Mahabharata to counter him. “The Kauravas were larger in number, but still the Pandavas came to power,” Mr. Kharge said.
