Political Heat - A Case of Dirty Language Politics
The political mood is upbeat right now with record breaking turnouts being observed in almost all the major states and constituencies wherein people are voting to choose their leaders for the General Election 2014. Talking about reasons for such a trend some refer to the massive anti-incumbent mood against the ruling Congress party while others point to the fact that the 12 crore new voters in these elections are coming out in throngs to vote.
Since September 2013 when Mr. Narendra Modi was anointed as the BJP Prime Ministerial Candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls the political heat in the country has risen exponentially with each passing day. National leaders, party supporters, MPs, regional leaders are all busy promoting their parties to the ultimate kingmaker (the voter) through mediums like the print media, electronic media, social networks, road shows, interviews to popular news journalists, mega rallies and private meetings.
Speaking continuously for hours together these leaders and party promoters sometimes land themselves as well as the parties they are representing in grave trouble by their speeches and statements and the run up to General Election 2014 is full of such instances.
Going purely by memory terms one can recollect dozen plus such instances. The Congress leadership till today would be cursing itself for the statement given by its senior most leader advising Mr. Modi to leave the PM ambitions and offer to give him space for a tea stall at one of the party's meetings. And here is when the creative heads behind Mr. Modi's campaign took the issue of a 'Normal Chaiwaala' desiring to become the Prime Minister when people in power consider Chaiwaalas to be of the lower strata.
There is not an iota of doubt in the fact that misstatements by the spokesperson of one party are bound to benefit the other and the extent of benefit depends on the gravity of the statement, the defence mechanism in the culprit party and the offensive action of the other party.
The NCP was put in total back front when the party chief himself asked the electorate to cast the vote twice in order to make their party victorious. The sort of thinking clearly gives us the kind of respect that these leaders have for a fair game play. Even though such a practice of voting twice is not possible because the voting slips are being distributed by the Election Commission itself on every voter's doorsteps.
The main reason for this kind of behaviour by the politicians is the politics of appeasement that is practiced in our country. Be it the appeasement of particular caste, class, tribe or a particular religion as long as this policy is there to stay little control can be brought in to the dirty language being used in the Indian politics.
An army which has never conducted a census based on religion was instantly divided on communal lines by Mr. Azam Khan, the mouthpiece of Samajwadi Party by stating that the Muslim soldiers won the Kargil war for India and no Hindu soldier died during the war. Such statements don't only show the communal mindsets of such leaders but also are a blot on democracy. The right to expression of interest gets hijacked to suit personal motive which here is policy of appeasement.
A real political leader is one who accepts criticism and if elected doesn't indulge in getting after the opposition or the people who doesn't support his ideology. Mr. Giriraj Singh's statement ordering all anti-Modi people to rush to Pakistan shows that some leaders overheated by the political climate cultivate the politics of fear and confusion. A later reprimand by the PM candidate is definitely appreciable but steps should be taken to curb these practices.
The latest controversy to hit the TV screen is of the so called outspoken leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, Ms. Shazia Ilmi who has some problems with the increasingly secular attitude of Muslims living in India. A party promising to be the new hope for the people away from politics of appeasement of the electorate is telling the Muslims to be communal and vote for Jhaadu.
Really, the standards have hit rock bottom in General Elections 2014. And the leaders are not to be blamed in entirety for this rather it is the supporters of such leaders, the parties who doesn't have an active disciplinary committee and last but not the least the regulator for being too soft and toothless on such people.
There is not an iota of doubt in the fact that misstatements by the spokesperson of one party are bound to benefit the other and the extent of benefit depends on the gravity of the statement, the defence mechanism in the culprit party and the offensive action of the other party.
The NCP was put in total back front when the party chief himself asked the electorate to cast the vote twice in order to make their party victorious. The sort of thinking clearly gives us the kind of respect that these leaders have for a fair game play. Even though such a practice of voting twice is not possible because the voting slips are being distributed by the Election Commission itself on every voter's doorsteps.
The main reason for this kind of behaviour by the politicians is the politics of appeasement that is practiced in our country. Be it the appeasement of particular caste, class, tribe or a particular religion as long as this policy is there to stay little control can be brought in to the dirty language being used in the Indian politics.
An army which has never conducted a census based on religion was instantly divided on communal lines by Mr. Azam Khan, the mouthpiece of Samajwadi Party by stating that the Muslim soldiers won the Kargil war for India and no Hindu soldier died during the war. Such statements don't only show the communal mindsets of such leaders but also are a blot on democracy. The right to expression of interest gets hijacked to suit personal motive which here is policy of appeasement.
A real political leader is one who accepts criticism and if elected doesn't indulge in getting after the opposition or the people who doesn't support his ideology. Mr. Giriraj Singh's statement ordering all anti-Modi people to rush to Pakistan shows that some leaders overheated by the political climate cultivate the politics of fear and confusion. A later reprimand by the PM candidate is definitely appreciable but steps should be taken to curb these practices.
The latest controversy to hit the TV screen is of the so called outspoken leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, Ms. Shazia Ilmi who has some problems with the increasingly secular attitude of Muslims living in India. A party promising to be the new hope for the people away from politics of appeasement of the electorate is telling the Muslims to be communal and vote for Jhaadu.
Really, the standards have hit rock bottom in General Elections 2014. And the leaders are not to be blamed in entirety for this rather it is the supporters of such leaders, the parties who doesn't have an active disciplinary committee and last but not the least the regulator for being too soft and toothless on such people.
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