Assault on Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat shows just how violent and ugly Indian politics has become
It’s a sad day for India politics. Not only do we have lumpen TV channels literally hounding Opposition leader Shashi Tharoor outside his home in Thiruvananthapuram, we have witnessed something far worse and tasteless, underscoring the ubiquitous and normalised violence of everyday Indian politics.
Today, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was attacked by stones and cement bricks, according to reports. This happened in a place called Banaskantha in the flood-ravaged Gujarat, where the Opposition leader had gone for a routine political outreach. However, the Congress VP’s car was attacked with stones by a mob during his tour.
He was also shown black flags, was heckled by protesters when he made a brief speech in the Lal Chowk area of the town in Banaskantha district.
Shocked to learn about today's attack on Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat. Glad he's unhurt. Misuse of power to silence opposition, media & India Inc pic.twitter.com/sgw4IdlscS
— Milind Deora (@milinddeora) August 4, 2017
#StonePelterBJP attacks #RahulGandhi in Gujarat https://t.co/bfeFIJwXih
— Shehzad Poonawalla (@Shehzad_Ind) August 4, 2017
Rahul ji is spg protectee.His security is responsibility of state govt.Its a serious security breach. State govt complicity?#StonePelterBJP
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) August 4, 2017
Gundas of RSS-BJP attacked Rahul Gandhi's car in Gujarat, where he is meeting the flood affected Gujaratis. RSS is so scared of him! pic.twitter.com/vPNR7MPWni
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) August 4, 2017
Several Congress leaders and spokespersons tweeted out images from the site of the attack, and we can clearly see shards of broken glass from the attacked car in which his SPG (Special Protection Guards) were travelling. Many pointed out that law and order is a state subject and Rahul Gandhi was a protectee of the Gujarat state government, but instead his security was breached and how.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala went one step ahead and said that goons from the ruling party in Gujarat were behind the attack in Lal Chowk in Dhanera town of Banaskantha district. He called it “organised violence” and pointed to the “tacit complicity” of the state BJP.
BJP goons attack Cong VP Rahulji's car in Lal Chowk, Dhanera, Banaskanta, Gujarat. Disgusting & disgraceful. 1/n pic.twitter.com/2lkvtDHsOQ
— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 4, 2017
With 218 deaths in Gujarat,61 in Bansakanta alone,PM only does an aerial visit while CM takes 5days to visit.BJP only attacks opposition.2/n pic.twitter.com/pYSufOv3j3
— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 4, 2017
Windowpanes of Cong VP's car broken in an organized attack by goons,security staff injured. BJP must know truth can't be silenced. 3/3 pic.twitter.com/Sswntiowf8
— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 4, 2017
Violence & physical attack have become BJP's culture.Cong & Rahulji get more determined to raise people's voice after every attack.#डरपोकBJP
— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 4, 2017
What was the most distasteful aspect of the whole incident was the defensive posture that the BJP leaders, including Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, took right after the news of the attack on the Congress VP spread like wildfire on social media and TV channels.
CM Rupani branded Gandhi a “perpetual tourist” who was visiting the flood-affected Gujarat for “photo-ops”. He advised Gandhi to “devote time to proper relief work in flooded areas” and said the “people of Gujarat know the tricks of the Congress rather too well”.
The perpetual tourist, Shri @OfficeOfRG came to Gujarat but the people of Gujarat are asking- where are our INC MLAs in this crucial time?
— Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) August 4, 2017
Instead of another photo-op, it would have been better had @OfficeOfRG & @INCIndia devoted time to proper relief work in flooded areas.
— Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) August 4, 2017
Rahul Gandhi's leadership style is working wonders in his party. Following him, Congress MLAs are also in vacation mode!
— Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) August 4, 2017
People of Gujarat know the tricks of the Congress rather too well. Their anti-people & anti-Gujarat mindset is not a secret.
— Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) August 4, 2017
It’s only when wide-scale condemnation of Rupani’s cavalier tweets followed, that he issued a tweet condemning the attack on Gandhi in the first place.
However, Rupani, with his knee-jerk and extremely petty reaction to the assault on Gandhi in his own state, betrayed more sinister emotions. Violence is becoming so routinised that the biggest leaders are not safe in case they happen to be members of the Opposition.
The hounding and defamation of Shashi Tharoor, the relentless trailing of the CBI, the I-T departments behind prominent members of the Opposition, the misinformation and fake news blitzkrieg – everything has now transmogrified into outright and direct violence against those with a different politics and vision of India other than the BJP, and its duopolistic leadership in Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.
Twitter trended #StonePelterBJP as a reaction to the assault on Rahul Gandhi. Condemnations poured in from various circles, and of course, the Congress put forward strong reservations to the disgusting and spineless attack on its vice-president. Journalists from the liberal and secular camp too tweeted their horror and shock at the incident.
It is your state govt..Expose this plot na...by your logic is stone pelting in Kashmir against Army stage managed by BJP-PDP #StonePelterBJP https://t.co/CuxUEEJoyN
— Shehzad Poonawalla (@Shehzad_Ind) August 4, 2017
Don't use pellet guns on #StonePelterBJP. But arrest and prosecute these lawless goons. They are spreading terror in India.
— Salman Anees Soz (@SalmanSoz) August 4, 2017
Well it's clear BJP is afraid of the rising popularity of Congress VP Rahul Gandhi. This is a cowardly act !! #StonePelterBJP pic.twitter.com/uQSsBWBpYE
— INC Mumbai (@INCMumbai) August 4, 2017
I would request the BJP to use the same yardstick to describe people's actions & emotions in Kashmir when talking about protestors here. https://t.co/S3te4usx9r
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) August 4, 2017
It would only be in the fitness of things to use the same yardstick given the whole integral part of India status that J&K enjoys.
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) August 4, 2017
Bjp plumbing new depths today @sambitswaraj are you trying to encourage mob attacks on @OfficeOfRG https://t.co/L1offtr3qO
— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) August 4, 2017
Shocked at brazen assault on RG in a BJP-ruled state. How desperate are they? Never thought our ruling party wld be reduced2 #StonePelterBJP https://t.co/Tmrg8ykkbd
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 4, 2017
Of course, some TV channels tried giving it the opposite spin:
Rahul Gandhi attacked by #StonePelterBJP and this is what @NewsX chooses to run. Disgusting is an understatement! pic.twitter.com/1GjqLfQjRN
— Hasiba (@HasibaAmin) August 4, 2017
Rahul Gandhi’s reaction was sober but firm. He tweeted that he wasn’t going to be afraid of the attacks and would only embolden his resolve even more.
नरेंद्र मोदी जी के नारों से, काले झंडों से और पत्थरों से हम पीछे हटने वाले नहीं हैं, हम अपनी पूरी ताकत लोगों की मदद करने में लगाएंगे
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 4, 2017
जो सत्य को पहचानता है, जो सच को समझता है उसे डरने की कोई ज़रुरत नहीं है, महात्मा गांधी ने हमें यही सिखाया है https://t.co/oOzHyYqQSU
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 4, 2017
However, that leaves us with the question: Is violence the new normal in everyday Indian politics? While the BJP has tried every trick in its bag to dismantle governments with manipulated and manufactured mandates, now its leaders are not even ready to accept that they are responsible for ensuring the security of Opposition leaders, at least in the states where they have their own government.
The real worry is that the political attacks will not be limited to this one against Rahul Gandhi, but would be imitated and tried against many others. What a shambolic state of affairs.