Author: Editorial
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: December 9, 2007
This isn't the language of politics
There is no doubt that elections tend to generate
a lot of heat and dust with contesting political parties and their leaders
indulging in hyperbole or, at times, in sharp exchanges. But few politicians
would use words like those chosen by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to lash
out at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at election rallies addressed
by her. She accused him of being a "liar", "dishonest"
and a "merchant of death". Such vitriolic abuse may make sections
of the media, for whom Modi-bashing any which way is mandatory editorial policy,
delirious with joy, but it reflects extremely poorly on the leadership of
India's oldest political party. This is not the language of democratic politics,
nor does it behove the chairperson of the alliance ruling at the Centre to
stoop so low in the hope of a fistful of votes. Of course, an enraged Mr Modi
has retaliated to defend his honour, but thanks to Ms Gandhi's acid comments,
the campaign has been vitiated. It is for Mr Modi to defend his comments,
which he will no doubt do by way of his reply to the notice served on him
by the Election Commission. But what about Ms Gandhi's uncalled for attack
by taking recourse to language which the vast majority of people, including
those who are not admirers of Mr Modi or supporters of the BJP, would agree
is coarse and abusive? Taking a cue from her, Congress general secretary Digvijay
Singh has used the obnoxious expression "Hindu atankwadi". In New
Delhi, the Congress spokesman, to please his political boss, has described
Mr Modi as "Doctor Death". Is this what the Congress's lexicon has
been reduced to? Have the party's leaders lost all sense of balance, if not
decency?
This is not the first time that Ms Gandhi has chosen to spit and scoot, confident
that nobody would dare castigate her. On an earlier occasion, she had described
former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a "liar" and then
pretended she never meant what the word means. Admittedly, Hindi is not her
mother tongue, but she has been in India long enough to realise that certain
words belong to the realm of what is known as 'bazaar' language. Small town
wannabe politicians may have a preference for such offensive language, but
those who claim to lead political parties from the front are expected to desist
from using it, even if they have risen from the ranks. On a more serious note,
it is easy to level outrageous allegations, but it is far more difficult to
make them stick. For instance, Ms Gandhi has no evidence to shore up her charge
that Mr Modi is a "liar", "dishonest" and a "merchant
of death". She should also be mindful of the fact that every time she
points a finger at others, there are three fingers pointing at her. She needs
to remember that it was Mrs Indira Gandhi's partisan politics that led to
the ghastly massacre of Muslim men, women and children at Nellie in Assam;
that separatist violence in Punjab was born of Congress's perverse politics;
and, that the slaying of Sikhs in 1984 by Congress goons was sought to be
justified by Rajiv Gandhi's infamous comment about how the "ground is
bound to shake when a big tree falls". All this does not make the Congress
a collective of "merchants of death", just as the Bofors scam does
not make every Congress leader "dishonest". As for "liars",
of course there aren't any in the Congress!
