Bachchan vs the Gandhis: Has the Congress lost its mind?

The Congress hit its daily low point at a recent press conference where the party declared an "honourable actor" unworthy of government engagement because he and his family were "implicated" in the Panama papers.

For those who might not be aware, this was an all-out attack on Amitabh Bachchan. The Congress clearly does not appreciate Bachchan's new bonhomie with the BJP and decided to try and throw a spanner in the works.

While the Bachchans brushed off the Congress' claims with little more than a shoulder shrug, the reaction from the rest of the country has been one of near universal disdain mixed with a healthy dose of disbelief.

Everyone knows politicians can say things with a straight face that would cause ordinary people to melt in shame. But surely there are limits to such a thing? Apparently not.

The Congress, in all seriousness, wants an icon of this country to shy away from public engagement because he MIGHT have done something illegal.

That press conference presumably was signed off by Sonia Gandhi, Congress Party President. Ironically, Sonia herself has been embroiled in one the nation’s biggest scandals, the National Herald case.

Congress ministers, like those from nearly every party in the country, have been accused of involvement in wide range of criminal activities, from rioting to theft. And this is discounting the allegations of corruption, which exceed tens of thousands of crore in payouts.

Whether it is the Bofors scam, which was the start of the fallout between the Gandhis and the Bachchans, to the newest AgustaWestland scam - Congress leaders, including the Gandhi family, have been directly implicated.

Yet the mere mention of the fact that Sonia Gandhi had been named by some Italians in connection to the AgustaWestland scam caused enough of a ruckus in Parliament to deafen the pigeons.

Congress MPs were seen losing all emotional stability and Subramanian Swamy, the man who dared to name her, was chastised.

Giant monuments and buildings exist for Congress party members who openly damned democracy and partook in the worst form of corruption. Yet, no Congress spokesperson has ever blushed at mentioning their presence in Government functions.

The obvious phrase to use here is - Those in glass houses should not throw stones at others. But in this case, the matter goes a little further. After all, those living inside soap bubbles should probably also refrain from breathing heavily.