Elections clear the air about politicians and statesmen

Editorial By- Sukhpreet Giani

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has been a whirl wind tour of the states going to polls. He has been addressing a number of rallies each day and while doing so, he has to find something innovative to give to his voters. Giving him a tough competition are his opponents who are trying to match his rally with a rally and also giving equal thrust to match his words.

Narendra Modi did quiet a good work when he contested the election to become the Prime Minister of India, till the party chief Amit Shah called poll promise as “Jumla” (phrases”).

Prime Minister Modi this time while in Uttar Pradesh didn’t leave any chance to coin new phrases however while doing so he exposed the real intent of his party. He said “Ramzan me bijli aati hai, toh Diwali me bhi aani chahiye; bhedbhav nahi hona chahiye” (“electricity is available on Ramza, then its supply should be ensured during Diwali as well. There shouldn’t be any discrimination”). He added, “If there is a kabaristan, there should be shamshaan too.” (If the village has a graveyard, it should also have a cremation ground”).  An elected Prime Minister while canvassing for his party, has played the communal card!  He has tried to ignite passion by mentioning the two festivasl of the two dominant communities of the state of Uttar Pradesh. He has even gone one step higher, by talking about the space that should be available for the burial of the Muslims and cremation of the Hindus.  As a Prime Minister he is expected to be secular and be instrumental in maintaining peace and harmony. This attempt to polarize goes against those expectations.

As the pitch for the elections rises, leaders are known to get  aggressive in their campaign, and are still desired to maintain dignity.  Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav too has had his share. The Samajwadi Party chief launched a fierce attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a rally in Raebareli, Akhilesh criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Gujarat Tourism advertisement that showcases super star Amitabh Bachchan. Akhilesh advised the superstar to not to do the advertisement for “Gade” (Donkeys), making an obvious reference to the super star inviting tourist to visit the wild Ass Sanctuary located in Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. With each passing day, the leaders are hitting a new low.

In 2015, during the Bihar Assembly elections, Prime Minister Modi had attempted similar act by pitting Dalits and backward classes against Muslims. He said during a rally in Buxar, “These leaders are making a devious plan. They are conspiring to take away 5 per cent reservation from Dalits, mahadalits, the backwards and extremely backwards and give it to a particular community.”

Despite the very fact that the Supreme Court of India has advised parties that “No Candiadate can seek votes in the name of caste, creed or religion”, parties have done so, with the ruling party and its star campaigner Prime Minister Narendra Modi setting the agenda and then the leaders from the other parties too tend to land up in the debate.

The general election held for Lok Sabha held in 2014, had BJP leader Giriraj Singh saying, “Those who don’t vote for Narendra Modi should be sent to Pakistan.” Though the Election Commission banned him from campaigning, Giriraj won the elections and was suitably rewarded: he got a Union ministry berth.

Even during the Assemlby elections in Bihar BJP had tried to spur up feelings.  Party president while facing an impending defeat, came out with a communal card and even roped in Pakistan.  “Agar galti se bhi BJP ye chunav har gayi, galti se bhi, jay parajay toh isi darti pe hogi, lekin patake challenge Pakistan mein (if the BJP loses this election by mistake, even by mistake, victory or defeat will unfold here, but fireworks will go off in Pakistan).” Party has been notorious for such tactics, with many other leaders from the party pitching in their bit for polarizing the voters.

Such remarks undermine the very essence of democracy where the core issues like education, safety, housing, water are not being addressed.  Taking a dig at other leaders, polarizing on caste, creed and religion perhaps can’t be avoided now. This has become the DNA of every election in India.  India no longer has leaders of the stature of Mahatma Gandhi, APJ Abdul Kalam,  Atal Bihari. The present leaders are just plain politicians thinking just of mean to win the elections. They are nowhere close to those brilliant statesmen who used to think about the next generation.