The standard of political discourse in the country has touched its lowest ebb. It appears that our leaders these days cutting across political lines are more interested in constituencies rather than the country. Otherwise, a Union minister wouldn’t have facilitated an accused in a lynching case, or an articulate member of the Parliament shouldn’t have opined that victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 general elections would turn India into a ‘Hindu Pakistan.’ It will be a relief for all the citizens if we ignore such comments, and these two are not exceptions. Our political leaders are either indulging in such type of acts or utterances with unfailing regularity, or they are doing so deliberately.
During the 2014 general elections, the main issue was development. Because of such deeds, it is already clear that the agenda for the 2019 elections will be communal in nature. One side will project itself as the saviour of the majority community while others will show themselves as protectors of Indian plurality.
Elections should not be fought to divide the society. Rather it should be used as a tool to bring together all sections of the people irrespective of caste, creed or colour. Unfortunately, Indian politicians are not interested in choosing that path — they are simply trying to grab power through shortcut means. That is why all such dangerous and damaging rhetoric in the recent times is dominating Indian politics. The issue of development has quietly taken a back seat.
It is not difficult to understand why the Union minister, a foreign-educated person, would go on to facilitate a person accused of lynching. Despite his vast knowledge, the minister has virtually done nothing for his constituency. More, if these people are declared offenders, he would surely lose muscle power during electioneering. So he has to appease the suspected offenders to keep his support base intact. Similar is the case with an opposition MP, who had a long association with the United Nations. Being cornered by the aggressive attitude of the pro-majority party, he and his party are now trying to make minorities their support base. But as they have no concrete plan for the welfare of the minorities, the MP and his party are now trying to create an environment of fear among the targeted communities.
But what these leaders and their respective party do not realize is that by putting constituency ahead of country, they are actually playing with fire. India is a land of diverse cultures, and tradition and religion. Any attempt to divide the society communally is bound to be suicidal. This particular effort will hurt the unity and integrity of the country badly.
So, for the sake of a prosperous India, our leaders should not stoop to such lows. People have voted for them in high hope. Before going back to the electorate to seek their blessings again, the lawmakers should prepare a report sheet containing facts of what they promised and what they delivered. Give the electorate a chance to vote based on performance. Don’t perplex them by raising communal issues as that would put a question mark on the country’s future.
