Distract and Deflect: Why Modi's ED Has Renewed Its Witch-Hunt Against the Gandhis

Why now? Why has the Enforcement Directorate (ED) renewed its witch-hunt against the Gandhis? Even Robert Vadra has come, once again, in the dreaded agency’s cross-hairs, for a case dating back to 2008. That old cliché about the Law taking its own course is being bandied about. Once again, we've been made to realise how tortuous and (in)convenient the course of law can be. Yet another one of those mysteries of the East.

Still, the question is: why now? There is no disagreement, both among the pro and anti-government voices, that the ED, during these last ten years, has been comprehensively transmuted into a political weapon, to be used and deployed against the Modi regime’s real or perceived enemies; sometimes it has also been misused against friendly souls who were refusing to fall in line at a quick enough pace to the satisfaction of the Sultan. The polity – including, unfortunately, the judiciary – has ceded the Palace this royal privilege.

Still, the  question of “why now” remains unanswered. If the 'leading voices' in the 'national media; are to be believed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recovered his mojo after the drubbing received in the last Lok Sabha elections; he is the master of the Indian political universe. The best and the brightest in the commentariat have applauded the prime minister as the only outstanding, respected and wise political leader in this turbulent world. He has successfully tamed those meddlesome priests in Nagpur. And, there is no regional or national political figure in the non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) crowd who can be deemed to be a threat to his presumed popularity.

And, the Gandhis? Sonia Gandhi is no longer an active player, though she continues to command respect among the non-BJP honchos but no mass appeal, if she ever had. The Modi core group could not possibly regard Rahul Gandhi as a serious challenger to the prime minister, even though he vigorously refuses to pipe down. He is at best a niggling, little pain in the BJP’s collective back; an irritant, no doubt, who is unwilling to fade away.

Ten years ago, it was probably feasible for a triumphant Modi to put – by hook or by crook – the Gandhis behind the bars on any trumped-up charges. That moment has passed; there will be no political or electoral pay-off if the Modi government is now seen as going after the Nehru-Gandhi family. And, this is because Modi himself has lost the much cultivated “moral” sheen as he has shielded and surrounded himself with known sinners and serial offenders.

The Gandhis may have squandered their aura but neither the prime minister nor his home minister is perceived as a paragon of good governance or clean politics. The Modi regime’s hegemonic heft is rooted in the powers of the thanedar and the deep pockets of the crony businessmen. Immorality in public life stands institutionalised and has been sanctified as the 'new normal'.

So, back to the original question: why this sudden flaunting of the baton against the hapless Gandhis?

Also read: How the Enforcement Directorate Has Become an Excessive Directorate

Admittedly, as very clever political operatives, the Modi coterie understands the need to have “enemies” who can be paraded out as the excuse for the regime’s own incompetence or stupidities or as impediments to national greatness and glory. “The Dynasty” or “the Family” has served this purpose for a while; but, after ten years in office, to try to make the Gandhis again as the designated enemy is baffling and reflects poorly on those who are touted as modern day Chanakayas.

Granted, the regime is rather good at playing the old game: distract, stupid, distract. Deflect, and, deflect again. Since 2014, Pakistan and its proxies have provided sufficient distraction from the Modi’s regime’s failures and foolishness. At Galwan, China made a tough “enemy” and took off at least 12 inches from the famed 56-inch chest. We are now being extremely careful not to offend China; we have put a cap on our unnecessary bravado. At home, the Muslims have refused to respond to incitement and provocation. The Meiteis and the Kukis have remained impervious to the Union home ministry’s danda. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin has given a fitting response. And the economy is not amenable to the Shahenshah’s firmans.

So, are we entitled to speculate that perhaps the Raisina Hill zamindars know of some gathering weakness or national vulnerability against which a distraction like the ED charge-sheet can come handy? The great irony is that a regime which is good at inventing enemies does not have the guts to name the most obvious enemy in the room – US President Donald Trump. The upper middle classes and the half-a-dozen crony oligarchs who sustain the Modi regime do not have the stomach to confront the US, in the manner of a proud, nationalist, sovereign China.

The stage is being set for a surrender to President Trump and his cronies and business partners. The usual suspects in the so-called strategic community have already urged pragmatic realism, even though it is clear to everyone that the Trump agenda presents a clear and present danger to our national prosperity, as we know it. Some even think that if President Trump can inflict some pain on China, we stand to benefit from the resulting scenario. Errant nonsense. Ministers are travelling to Washington to try to negotiate terms of surrender.

Suddenly the avowedly uber-nationalist regime finds itself in a pickle. It knows that any concession and compromise with the Trump White House will be against our national grain, yet it is in no position to confront an “strategic ally” who is behaving like an adversary. In the coming weeks and months our dealings with Washington would produce national discomfort and would require serious distraction and deflection. It remains to be seen if the ED’s move against the Gandhis would prove to be a sufficient distraction.

Harish Khare was editor of The Tribune.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.