dailyO
Politics

Who will tell these BJP leaders to shut up?

Advertisement
Ashok Upadhyay
Ashok UpadhyayOct 09, 2016 | 21:39

Who will tell these BJP leaders to shut up?

During the bitter debate on whether the proof of surgical strikes by India should be made public or not, BJP’s MP from Fatehpur Sikri Chaudhary Babulal crossed the Lakshman rekha of public discourse.

He said: “Rahul Gandhi jo surgical strike par saboot maangne ki baat kar rahein hain, woh hote kaun hain saboot mangne vaale? Ye to desh ke khilaf gaddari hai. Agar main sawal uthaun ke woh kiski aulad hain, toh kya woh saboot denge? Aisi internal cheezon ka saboot nahin maanga jata. Sena ne desh ke samman ke liye aur badla lene ke liye yeh kadam uthaya hai." (Rahul Gandhi is demanding proof of surgical strikes, who is he to demand such proof? This amounts to being a traitor. If I ask questions about his parentage, will he give proof? One cannot demand evidence in such internal matters. Whatever the Indian Army did was to avenge wrongs and protect the prestige of the nation.)

Advertisement

By asking for proof of Rahul's parentage, he has pointed a finger at the character of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister (late) Rajiv Gandhi.

So far, the BJP hasn’t taken any action against him. And going by past precedents, a tough action seems unlikely.

In today’s politics, opponents don’t hesitate in hitting below the belt. Calling names, assassinating a person's character, using uncharitable words or sometimes even hurling abuse is quite common.

Slowly and steadily it’s becoming a norm. Hardly any political party is left in India which has not been infected with this toxic disease. It is giving a bad name to the world’s largest democracy.

If from no one else, it’s expected from the BJP to set an example for others - not only because it is the ruling party of the country but also because it calls itself a party with a difference.

Chaal, charitra aur chehra,” (behaviour, character and face) has been the basis for the BJP’s claim to be the “party with a difference".

The BJP projects itself as a champion of socio-religious cultural values of the country. Argumentative tradition is endemic to India and Indians, and this goes back to the Vedic Age. 

Advertisement
daya-embed_100916093148.jpg
In July, BJP’s UP vice-president Dayashankar Singh compared BSP supremo Mayawati to a prostitute. (Photo credit: India Today) 

Shashtrartha or debate between Shankaracharya and Mandan Mishra is considered its hallmark. Abuse has never been Indian culture.

In this background, let’s take two examples when BJP’s senior leaders crossed the lines of acceptable discourse and turned into almost abusive Indians.

The first instance is of July, when BJP’s UP vice-president Dayashankar Singh compared BSP supremo Mayawati to a prostitute.

He said that she offers party tickets in lieu of money and is worse than sex workers who are more loyal to their customers. The remark triggered massive uproar.

The BJP was quick to act and sacked Singh despite his apology to the BSP chief. Finance minister Arun Jaitley said he too was hurt with his party member’s comment while BJP's UP president Keshav Maurya also apologised for Singh’s remark.

Quick action and prompt apology by top leaders has so far been missing in Babulal’s case.

The reason for saying sorry to Mayawati could be that not apologising could have cost the BJP its Dalit votebank, whereas using foul language against Rahul Gandhi has been the norm for the party.

It is pertinent to mention here that while the BJP took prompt action against Dayashankar, he was rewarded too - in less than four months after the incident, the BJP's UP unit made Swati Singh, his wife, the president of the party’s women wing.

Advertisement

The other case of verbal abuse by a BJP leader was in April last year, when Union minister of state Giriraj Singh courted a controversy with his sexist remarks aimed at Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

He said: “Agar Rajiv Gandhi koi Nigerian lady se byaah kiye hote, gori chamri na hoti, toh kya Congress uska netritwa sweekarti?" (Had Rajiv married a Nigerian lady, had she not been fair-skinned, would the Congress have accepted her leadership?)

The Nigerian high commission demanded an apology. The Congress condemned the remarks as “intemperate and distasteful”.

Following the massive uproar, Giriraj Singh expressed “regret” over the statement, but complained that what he had said had been “off the record”.

Neither the BJP nor Prime Minister Narendra Modi took action against him.

So looking at the three cases, the BJP was quick to take action on Dayashankar Singh but rewarded his family. Since then, his political stature has grown within the party and even in the Sangh Parivar. In the case of Giriraj Singh, there was no action and his stature too has grown manifold in the saffron brigade. Going by this, Chaudhary Babulal seems to have hit the jackpot.

Last updated: October 09, 2016 | 21:39
IN THIS STORY
Please log in
I agree with DailyO's privacy policy