No invite for Rahul at the Putin Banquet last week.
The news channels buzzed like bees around a honey pot, reporters breathlessly repeating the same line as though they had discovered a new planet. No invitation. Shocking. Mind boggling. But then a thought crept up quietly and tapped me on the shoulder. Who paid for this banquet?
Let us think slowly and calmly. The dinner was not held in the drawing room of the Prime Minister’s residence. It was not cooked by his grandmother’s secret family chef.
It was a state banquet for a visiting leader. And a state banquet means what? That the government paid for it. Which means in other words you and I paid for it. Our taxes. Our money. So technically it was a dinner hosted by the people of India. And that makes us the hosts. Now if we are the hosts, should we not invite someone the Leader of the Opposition? One who represents large sections of our population?
If Rahul and the President of the Congress speak for a significant number of Indians, then they deserve a seat at the table. Because democracy is not only about the majority. Democracy is also about the minority in Parliament. It is about acknowledging that the nation is made up of many colours, not just one shade that suits the ruling party’s living room curtains.
Imagine if you invite a foreign guest to your home. You bring out the finest dishes. You polish the cutlery and then you tell half the family to go sit in the garage because you do not like their opinions. The visitor will raise an eyebrow and wonder what strange tribe he has visited.
But here we are treating a national event as a private birthday party.
If it is private, then please allow the Prime Minister to dip into his personal cheque book. Let him pay out of his savings, or better still, let party funds handle it. Then he can invite whoever he wants, even his favourite childhood teacher. Oops let’s not go there.
But if it is the country’s money, then the country must be fairly represented.
Every time we reduce national platforms to exclusive club dinners we damage the very fabric of democracy. We turn political disagreements into personal fights. We shrink the idea of India until only a few comfortable chairs remain around the table.
Respect does not mean agreement. Respect means recognition. Recognition that even those who are not in power matter. That opposition is not the enemy. That differing voices strengthen us more than flattery ever will.
Time we learnt to honour the people even if they did not vote for the ruling party.
Time we remembered that democracy is not a family gathering. It is a national banquet.
And the leader of the opposition has a right to a seat.
Even if the host does not like him…!
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