It wasn’t merely a speech laced with wit, sarcasm and humour but also one that appeared to reflect the collective anguish and anger of MPs for being shown in extremely poor light by some prominent members of Team Anna and their supporters.
JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav’s speech on the Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha on Saturday held the House in thrall with members, including those from the Treasury benches, egging him on.
No remark perhaps better reflected the mood of the House at the derisive comments that have been directed at MPs in recent days than this by Mr Yadav: “Hum sansad ki maryada mein hain toh aapko bhi maryada mein rehna chahiye (We are maintaining decorum as per parliamentary norms, you, too, should maintain decorum.”
Lashing out at former police officer Kiran Bedi for mocking politicians on Friday, Mr Yadav said: “She was saying that politicians look from here to there. She spent her life in the police force. We have spent our entire lives on the roads. What politics will she teach us?”
Slamming Ms Bedi for the manner in which she draped a piece of cloth around her head for her “drama” on Friday, Mr Yadav warned her: “Ghunghat-dupatta dal kar hamara mazaak mat banaiye, hum aapka mazak udane khade ho gaye toh phir hamare paas toh zyaada zubaan hai (Don’t mock us. If we start doing the same, then we have a greater vocabulary).”
He added: “Hum toh is kaam ko karte rahe hain ki kiski pagdi uchhalni hai aur kiski pagdi nahin uchhalni hai.”