Of course, there are two incidents that directly contract this posturing; first, a bunch of intruders jumping into the new Parliament house and throwing smoke bombs inside, causing widespread panic; and second, the expulsion of 141 members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha (at the time of writing this column) that contradict Modi’s claims to an unshakeable, larger-than-life image. The new mantra of the BJP ecosystem is that Modi is invincible, his authority could not be challenged and India does not have any other leader who can be his alternative.

A closer look at both the incidents makes it explicit that BJP is striving to raise the element of ultra-nationalism. If the intrusion into Parliament had indeed been planned and executed by members of any religious minority, the BJP would by now would have rocked the political scenario and system, screaming national security emergency, or blaming Pakistan.

Surprisingly in this case of intrusion, both the top leaders Modi and Amit Shah, who have been running the political and administrative show, have preferred to maintain a passive and deafening silence. Both Modi and Shah have been skipping Parliament since the youths stormed the Lok Sabha. Both have spoken on the subject to the media, accusing the Opposition of “politicising the issue” and advising it to shun protests and calls for debate. But mysteriously, they have been avoiding making any statement in the Parliament.

Obviously, question arises why they are dodging the Parliament. What they intend to conceal? Making a statement in parliament is a matter of great constitutional and legal importance. But a statement made outside house to media has no such obligation. Clearly, Modi and Shah do not like to make any statement on the floor of the house which would expose their political duplicity.

The Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was right in his assertion: “PM can give an interview to a newspaper; Home Minister can give interviews to TV channels. But, they have ZERO accountability left to the Parliament — which represents the PEOPLE OF INDIA! With an Opposition-Less Parliament, the Modi government can now bulldoze important pending legislations, crush dissent, without any debate.”

No doubt their actions reflect the arrogance that forced them to act in this arbitrary manner and display ample disrespect for Parliament and its sanctity. Additionally, claiming that suspension of opposition MPs had become imminent as they had lowered the image of the house and creating obstacles in the functioning of the house, is it itself a crude joke. It is not for the first time that Modi has deliberately kept away from the Parliament from making statement. Last time he had resorted to this tactic was when he made a statement on Manipur outside the house. Later after grilled by opposition, especially by Rahul Gandhi, that he made a tailored reference.

Among the prominent faces the Opposition INDIA bloc that now has left in the Lower House are Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, and Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress. The 70-year-long history of Parliament practices does not have mention of hundreds of opposition MPs being suspended from Parliament in a matter of one or two days. The opposition parties have accused the Modi government of trying to bulldoze key legislations in an "Opposition-less" Parliament.

What an irony the Chairman of Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar felt hurt with leader of the Opposition Kharge not responding to his diktat to meet him in his chamber. Dhankhar interpreted his refusal as insult to him. After the house resumed Kharge kept raising his hand for permission to speak, Dhankhar did not give him an opportunity and adjourned the House with the comment: “It is a very painful day. The House has been reduced to a shouting brigade. I have taken this (decision) with deep anguish”. But incidentally his remark followed suspension of 45 MPs.

Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla saw the demand of the opposition members for a statement from Shah and his resignation, as a threat to the security of the house. Some opposition MPs were also carrying placards with their demands written on them. This is not something unusual in parliamentary functioning. Carrying placards certainly does not amount to threat to the house of which they are members. Can Birla please apprise the people of the country who elected him and also the opposition members, how the opposition members have become security threat to the country? People would have appreciated if Birla had said that Modi’s political predominance has been threatened by them.

The suspension triggered a political slugfest with opposition members terming the action as a "murder of democracy" and leader of house Piyush Goyal claiming that the action was necessary as the opposition MPs insulted the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman. Birla told the House about the steps taken by the Lok Sabha secretariat following the security breach incident on December 13 and sought cooperation from all members to run the House smoothly. But by seeking to know from Shah what he has done to ensure the safety and security of the house, opposition members were certainly not doing any crime or insulting the house or the presiding officers.

What happened during the last few days sends a clear message that every action of the government is part of a well-designed plot. The opposition disrupts the functioning of the house when the government fails to come out with a comprehensive reply based on facts. Obviously, Goyal accusing the Congress and members of INDIA bloc of "embarrassing" the country with their conduct and wilfully disrupting parliamentary proceedings lacks weight. He said the people of the country were watching. He was absolutely right. If at all the countrymen felt embarrassed by their action they would certainly reprimand them and come out with suitable reply. Why was Goyal worried of it? He ought to not forget that government’s conduct would certainly tell upon the image and performance of Modi and his ministers.

Goyal said: "It was clearly their preplanned strategy to not allow Parliament to run smoothly", noting that a bill to provide reservation to women in Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry was taken up for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha, but protesting opposition members did not allow a discussion. Goyal should have taken a leaf out of the functioning of BJP patriarch L K Advani and his colleague Arun Jaitley, when both of them sat in opposition with Advani as the leader. Obstruction of parliament proceedings was the instrument of choice for Advani et al to embarrass successive Congress governments of its time.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who arrived in the national capital on Monday, ahead of a crucial INDIA bloc meeting, described the action against the MPs as a "mockery of democracy". She has every reason to get angry. Some BJP leaders are holding accusatory fingers towards TMC. Even some investigating officers are trying to target TMC.

A feeling grips the opposition camp that just ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Modi and Shah plan to use the volley of investigating bodies for coercing and victimising the opposition leaders, which is why they term the mass suspension a “bloodbath” and the “murder of democracy”, a higher level of “tanasahi” (dictatorship) to muzzle dissent.

Mamata was categorical:“We want the investigation to be unbiased. That is why we are not going to make ultopalta (silly) comments. We don’t speak aboltabol (nonsense)… It’s a security lapse. The (Union) home minister (Amit Shah) already admitted that. This is a very serious matter, no doubt…. Let them investigate the matter. Because we don’t compromise on any security matter.” The primary reason for the opposition members demanding a statement owes to their apprehension that Modi and Shah may misuse the incident to implicate anti-BJP leaders and persons. Modi already in his interview to a Hindi daily had observed that agencies are investigating the security breach incident and taking stringent measures. He said it is necessary to go to the root of people behind it and their motives.

As Parliament shifted to a new home earlier this year, Modi had spoken of awakening a “new consciousness”. Now in the wake of December 13 incident, some members feel that Modi is implementing Gujarat model to suppress dissent. They point out that legislators were similarly suspended in Gujarat for demanding a debate on floods; for accusing the government of involvement in scams and providing undue help to corporate houses; for seeking discussions on how an impostor got into a police academy.

“This is an extension of the Gujarat model, in which the Opposition is seen as a hurdle,” said Congress Rajya Sabha member Shaktisinh Gohil. Two words “garima” and “maryada”-- dignity and discipline-- echoed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for justifying suspension of the members. According to RJD MP Manoj Jha, who also stands suspended: “This is an authoritarian interpretation of parliamentary decorum.” (IPA Service)