Shiban Khaibri
Education, besides leading us from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge also teaches us the elements of courtesy, etiquettes and good manners right from our early school days. An educated person, more so a notable public figure is supposed not to give unwarranted vent to his or her pent up emotions sprouting as a result of unspecified anger or hate just for the sake of it. Moreover, an analogy with good and polished manners and behaviour has conventionally been drawn with a Parliamentarian, thus we say “this does not look to be a Parliamentary language” which speaks as to how dignifiedly a parliamentarian should speak.
Of late, particularly in run up to the general elections barely a few weeks away, political discourses have touched all time low right from the Prime Minister who usually has been known as a quiet and very rarely speaking person, to even Ministers and known Political leaders. Prime Minister saying Shri Modi, the PM candidate of the BJP destined to prove “disastrous” is beyond comprehension of any right thinking Indian. One could question him how he could predict a thing about the uncertain future in respect of which human beings cannot say a thing with authority. One would in reaction, on pure logic, express the fears that Modi could not prove more disastrous. Are we Indians so much inane and shall we prove mute spectators to tolerate any PM to go to the extent of proving disastrous for the country? The people have the supreme power as enshrined in our constitution in the democratic set up of our country and therefore none can be allowed to prove disastrous willfully with impunity. Not even if proven incompetent and lacking in imparting good governance and leadership to the country. So Dr. Manmohan Singh’s fears are totally unfounded and nothing short of mere accusations and attempt to plant unfounded fears in the minds of the electorate. In the same way, another Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer took a contemptuous jib at Modi saying that he could “never, never and never become India’s Prime Minister” and at best Congress could provide him some space to sell tea at “our meetings”. In the same way “Zehar Ki Kheti” and “Khoon Ki Rajniti” innuendoes were showered on him by Sonia Ji and Rahul Ji , the President and the Vice President of Congress Party respectively. There is no end to this culture of hurling adjectives of lowest tastes on the premise of construction of structures of old, gone and forgotten days but attempted to rejuvenate them constantly with assumed horrors as was recently done by a person no less than the country’s Foreign Minister Salman Khursheed calling Modi as impotent. When some daring pressmen asked him whether he would feel sorry for such type of barbs, he not only justified it but put a counter question to them to “advise him if he could have used any better word for him”. He said boastfully that he could not find any other matching word in the dictionary excepting the one under reference. Modi earlier has been referring Rahul Gandhi as “Shazada” or an otherwise quite uncontroversial and soft spoken Shivraj Singh, the CM of Madhya Pradesh returning the barb of Salman Khursheed with “Moonch ka baal aur poonch ka bal” makes a wrong not better answered with another wrong but who keeps things like these boiling and for what purposes is a serious question? Where does this all lead us to?
Does Congress feel an inkling of the prospects of getting drubbings of unprecedented proportions at the hustings in the coming elections? Has Congress started feeling nervous with increasing proportions looking to the fast approaching dates of the elections vis-à-vis its performance? Has it seen any end to unprecedented corruption taking place especially during its present term.? At the time of writing of these lines, as per reports, an unprecedented scam of Rs.400 crores, the fresh in the long list, has been unearthed in our prestigious AIIMS, New Delhi having happened during the past 5 years.
There can be some scribes who perhaps cannot make after for certain reasons the issue and consequently not question the type of language used by a top government functionary, an important cabinet Minister on the ground of proprietary but this humble writer through these lines politely invokes Salman Khursheed to have a debate with me , an open debate on the very premise, the very ground , the very alibi on which he or others in public discourse can afford to go to this extent of criticism hovering around the concept of secularism. With due respects to Shri Khursheed, the debates shall be based purely on facts and happenings which he and other so called secularists conveniently choose to ignore or sideline. On the conditions of being sincere and honest, can these politicians in the government and those supporting them within and from outside the government, claim to be championing the right type of secularism? The purpose of writing these lines is not to take sides, neither of the targeted receiver nor take a disproportionate critical posture against the barb speaker but only with intent to attempt to put an end to parroting day in and day out of ””What happened in 2002″ and then under its cover, oppose a political opponent non politically and instead with invectives.
The whole world is watching us, noting our levels of discourses, our incessant toiling of trying to level allegations and counter allegations, plant unfounded fears among the electorate and keep on saying , “the real threat to India is ONLY from the communal forces” and not from our belligerent neighbours, the seeds of hatred and the menace of terrorism parked in this country from abroad, the evil designs against our borders, our rivers, our frontiers, staple visas, fake currency, drugs and narcotics entering our markets, illegal influx of Bangladeshi nationals and topsy- turviness of our demographic equations . Do any of our politicians especially in the present government ever talk about the threat to India’s progress, the economic planning and natural resources by the ever increasing population? Were we not with just 39 crores of population in 1948 and thereafter saying that India was overpopulated and needed population planning and what are we saying now in respect of having reached 125 crores with comparatively lesser natural resources like forests, land, water etc? If we keep on talking about “Khoon ki Rajniti” , “Zahar ki Kheti”, “Maut ka saudagar”, 2002, 1996 et-al all the time, how can this atmosphere of sustaining memories of unfortunate events help in uniting the hearts of Indians in true brotherhood and amity to turn India as a strong world power? There are not only these dates, very unfortunate in nature and against our culture and traditions to be quoted for political expediency but those of 1969, 1984, 1990, 2012-13 etc; too to be then discussed and victims identified, if we have no other constructive work to do. In 1969 there were worst riots in Ahmedabad under Congress rule, the number of people killed far out numbered those killed in 2002 of both the communities. In 1984, and in 1990 the worst human sufferings happened under the nose of Congress or those parties in alliance with Congress, then why should not those at the helm then, be pilloried, named and shamed.? Recently, in 2012-13, there were many communal troubles in UP and the like. Why not the government is there equally treated as is Modi treated despite him having been judged as innocent by the judiciary of this country?
Wise people, far sighted politicians and developing nations try to look for the future, forgetting but learning from the mistakes of the past and striving for a better future unlike our country where the “ruling elite” tries desperately to keep the pot of 2002 boiling for expected petty political ends. We as a people, are now much tired of listening to such avoidable, worth forgetting unfortunate happenings and want political leadership to lead us in right direction and show the right path. Please stop such non stop demeaning rhetoric and every time beating the major political opponents of the Congress aided by their cahoots pseudo secularists with the stick of 2002. Now there should be economic, political and visionary sticks kept in the quiver to fight political opponents.
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