The idiom ‘lost in translation’ refers to the true meaning, subtlety or nuance of words that goes missing or is misinterpreted when translated from one language to another. Director Sofia Coppola used it as the title for her romantic comedy in 2003, starring Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray. Movies are wonderful illusions weaved out of facts, fiction and craft.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi is busy directing his own movie to entertain voters in the upcoming elections. And between the French written word and its English translation, he has chanced upon enough illusion in the script to weave a gripping narrative.
“Narendra Modi is corrupt,” thundered the Congress president on Thursday, repeating a charge that he has levelled often in the past. “He must resign,” said Gandhi in a flourish of righteous indignation. The dynast was on a roll. He called the prime minister a ‘chowkidar’.
(watchman) of industrialist Anil Ambani and told reporters in a news conference that in order to “save Ambani’s debt-ridden business”, Modi has “taken Rs 30,000 crore from IAF and put it in Ambani’s pocket.”
The congress president also questioned the prime minister’s silence on the issue, suggested that the Union defense minister has “rushed to France” to engineer a “cover-up”, called for an “investigation” into the issue, and for good measure, added that even an “ex-President of France — no less has said India’s prime minister is corrupt”.
