By Florine Roche
Mangaluru, Apr 18: Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s repugnant “Khaki Underwear” remark against his political opponent Jayaprada is just one of the examples to show that political campaigning in India has reached a new low. As the country is in the midst of the 17th Lok Sabha elections, there are ample instances to show that political parties including regional parties are guilty of using abusive language filled with communal overtones and epithets against political rivals, with utter disregard to decorum, decency, dignity and sensitivity. As the abuse and counter abuse has reached its nadir there was an urgent need to apply breaks and prevent further damage on the manner in which election campaign is being carried out in the country.
The Election Commission of India has finally ‘woken up’ and showed that it has ‘teeth’to act against erring politicians after the Supreme Court reprimanded it and expressed its displeasure over Election Commission’s failure to take action against politicians for violating model code of conduct. Fed up of the rhetoric and speeches laced with communal overtones and caste and creed-based utterances, one Harpreet Mansukhani had filed a public interest litigation plea in the Supreme Court requesting maintaining secular environment during these elections. ECI finally acted and censured BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, BSP supremo Mayavati, BJP leader Maneka Gandhi and SP leader AzamKhan from campaigning for their provocative, communal and derogatory speeches and remarks during their election campaigns. A FIR has been filed against Congress leader Navjoth Singh Siddu by the District administration in Bihar and the Election Commission might take initiate action against him and many others.
The names referred to above are only a tip of the iceberg. Speeches with religious overtones, seeking votes on caste, creed and region, accusations and criticisms which are personal in nature, gender-based discrimination/insults, revenge politics – we have seen it all in these elections. It is galling to note that some politicians who courted controversy due to their hate speeches are repeat offenders and some of them had descended to an abysmal low during the earlier election campaigns also. If timely action was taken against them for their incendiary remarks then we could have avoided similar low-level jibes hurled against their political opponents.
Political observers are of the opinion that there is nothing new about personal slight and public slanging in politics and it is accepted. There are references to Morarji Desai calling Indira Gandhi “chokri” or George Fernandes calling her as “that woman” and Ram Manohar Lohia labelling her “gungiguria” (dumb doll). But it did not go beyond the socially acceptable limits even in a charged political atmosphere like emergency. The scenario has changed drastically in the past two decades and for the worst.
It shows that that castigating the political opponent is not new in Indian polity. It is part of a healthy democratic process and India followed a healthy system of election campaign though a few aberrations were always there. But what we see today in Indian election campaign is a new low, where apart from seeking votes on communal, caste, linguistic and regional basis, reports of intimidating, bullying and buying voters have come to the fore. With electioneering at its peak nowas the country is getting ready for the second phase of electioneering, unsavory political scuffling and offensive remarks by the leaders have become the order of the day.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath’s comment “Bajrangbali is mightier than Ali” invited the wrath of Election Commission which imposed a 72-hour nationwide campaign ban on him for his remark. Mayavati, and Sidhu had urged Muslim voters to for their party and EC censured them for appealing to Muslim voters. Maneka Gandhi also came under the radar of election commission for her controversial remarks asking Muslims to vote for her. Azham Khan’s sexist remark against Jayaprada was another low, in continuation of his earlier misogynist comment “nachnewali”, against his political colleague turned opponent. Jayaprada had earlier accused Azam Khan of circulating her morphed nude pictures during the 2009 election campaign in Rampur. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections Azam Khan and Jayaprada are pitted against each other in Rampur constituency of Uttar Pradesh.
The leaders of the ruling party at the center and the major opposition parties have not conducted themselves with caution or respect thus contributing to the falling standards of public discourse. If the BJP had called Manmohan Singh as ‘dumb’ and ‘weak’ Prime Minister Congress leader Mani Shankar Iyer’s taunt calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi “neechkism ka aadmi” or Kejriwal calling Prime Minister ‘Psychopath’, was unheard of in Indian polity till recently. These comments coming from former bureaucrats turned politicians lacked decency and dignity. Sonia Gandhi who is usually caution in her remarks and desists from personal attacks had called Prime Minister “maut kasaudagar’ in 2014 which had evoked strong reactions and it was a surprise even to the Congress leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s taking a potshot against Congress President Rahul Gandhi who chose Wayanad terming it as ‘where majority is minority’ dig was also not in good taste. He was referring to the demographic composition of Wayanad where Muslims are majority vis-à-vis the Hindus. The ‘Chowkidar chor’ comment by Rahul Gandhi shows utter disregard he has to the position of the Prime Minister.
Apart from politicians and candidates contesting elections religious leaders of major religions have stoked controversies by mixing religion with politics. Yogi Adiyanath who is famous for his anti-minority rhetoric “if they kill even on Hindu, we will kill 100” is the Chief Minister of the populous state of Uttar Pradesh. Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh’s controversial remarks in 2014 on Congress president Sonia Gandhi's “skin colour” had created quite a furore then and he was even reprimanded by BJP party President Amit Shah. Who can forget the controversial remarks of Owaisi brothers including the disparaging remark made by Akbaruddin Owaisi who said “Muslims would need just 15 minutes without police to show 100 crore Hindus who is powerful”?
Regional parties too are not left behind in coming out with choicest platitudes as we have seen during these elections. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy certainly guilty of crossing the Laxman Rekha when he left no words to hurl abuse at Sumalatha. He did not even spare her widowhood and that is indeed a pity, coming as it is from a Chief Minister.
It can be rightly said that all the political parties and politicians are collectively responsible for the low standards of the political discourse we are witnessing these days. Not long ago when late Pramod Mahajan called Sonia Gandhi a Monika Lewinsky then Prime MinisterVajpayi had expressed concerns at the falling standards of the political conversation in the country. In the past one decade we are witnessing a worst political scenario and there is every reason to feel that it cannot go lower than this.
Having said that, a look at the criminal record of our lawmakers, we can expect worst scenario in the days to come. According to latest reports 174 or more than 33 percent of the 521 sitting MP’s have declared criminal records. In Karnataka too one out of the three sitting MPs have declared cases against themselves according to affidavits submitted by them. It is not possible to expect a better political environment when we elect such people to rule us. At this juncture I remember what philosopher George Bernard Shaw had said “Politics is the last resort of a scoundrel”. Looking at Indian scenario Shaw must be having the last laugh as his prophecy has become true in India.