New Delhi, Jul 20: When the monsoon session of parliament opened in August 2010, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited opposition leaders for dinner. The BJP declined because central agencies were proceeding against Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah. This stand instilled great fear in the ranks of the treasury benches. Note how the BJP rallied behind Narendra Modi, the rising star.
Such was the state of funk in the ruling party that the monsoon session passed without Amit Shah's name being mentioned even once. For this act of grace, there was repayment in kind. Foreign Policy, Palestine, Economy, Nuclear Liability, forward trading in food grains, Kashmir, even Pakistan - all these issues remained uncontested.
That was then. Last week, there was something of a dejavu. Outlook magazine had a bold cover story: “UPA's Rs.54,500 crore Gas Rip-off”. That was not all. The three deck headline rested on another line in bold fonts: “And the BJP's Shocking Silence”.
How “shocking” BJP's silence is on this and other issues - for instance, the list on which Foreign Direct Investment has been most generously allowed - will become clear in the coming monsoon session.
