Petty politics & poor optics: How vitriol clouds BJP's discourse

When in Varanasi next, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should walk through the narrow lanes that connect Maidagin — the busiest market of his constituency — to the Manikarnika Ghat. Modi may notice a few things about Indian culture he may have missed because of his busy schedule.

Every day, dozens of dead bodies from across the state are brought to the Ghat for cremation by the Ganges. When their hearses move through the sardine-packed, bustling streets of Varanasi, out of deference for the dead and empathy for the bereaved family, people step aside, vehicles stop — life comes to a standstill for the departed.
The deceased are treated with respect not just in Varanasi but almost across the country. Most Indians believe death is a gateway to another world after completion of a karmic cycle on earth. Once someone completes the cycle, passes away into a different world, nobody speaks ill of them because we Indians believe the soul has been cleansed and is now pure. The Latin phrase de mortius nihil nisi bonum (of the dead say nothing but good) was coined by a Greek sage in 600 BC, indicating that even in ancient society, badmouthing the dead was considered inappropriate.

Modi, his loyalists and handpicked candidates with dubious histories, of course, do not believe in such basic courtesies. A few days ago, Pragya Thakur, the BJP candidate from Bhopal who is currently facing terror charges, attacked Mumbai cop Hemant Karkare, who laid down his life defending India against the 26/11 attacks. And on Saturday (May 4), Modi launched an unsavoury attack on former PM Rajiv Gandhi, saying his life had ended as “corrupt No 1.”
Modi’s slur is not just bad etiquette, petty politics and poor optics — three features of many of his recent statements, but also fabrication of facts. Though his opponents had accused the former PM of corruption in the Bofors deal, none of the charges were ever proven. VP Singh, who had quit Gandhi’s cabinet to contest against the Congress, had famously claimed he has the account details of recipients of the alleged kickbacks in his pocket. But, even after winning the election, he was not able to disclose or prove anything.

Unproven charges

Some years later, the Delhi High Court absolved the former PM of all charges. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government that was in power when the HC pronounced its decision, did not file an appeal in the Supreme Court. In short, no charge was ever proven against Gandhi. And no government, including that of Vajpayee, ever produced convincing evidence of Gandhi’s involvement in the case or alleged kickbacks. Obviously, Modi is being economical with truth.
Gandhi did not die as “corrupt No 1”, as erroneously claimed by Modi and seconded by his lackeys in the BJP, but as a man who could have been the PM of India again if destiny had not intervened. Had he not been killed by LTTE assassins in the middle of elections in 1991, Gandhi would have emerged leader of the single-largest party and, thus, the frontrunner for the PM’s post. But, when it comes to the Nehru-Gandhis, the BJP has its own versions of history, based on half-truths, post-truths and Whatsapp forwards.

Spewing vitriol

Attacking the Gandhi-Nehrus — as is evident from his history — has turned into some sort of fetish for the PM and his drumbeaters. In the past, he has taken extraordinary pain and recourse to uncivil words to attack Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira, Rajiv, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Some of his tirades have been both unpalatable and extraordinary leaps of fancy — like claiming a “widow” was usurping funds meant for women, or arguing he would not have had to ban currency notes if Indira Gandhi had done that in the 70s and blaming Nehru for pretty much everything that he finds wrong with India.

The malaise — like a virus passed on through word of mouth — has manifested itself in some outrageous pronouncements by his colleagues. Two days ago, Union minister Smriti Irani, the BJP candidate from Amethi, had tweeted an edited version of a video which showed some children abusing the PM in the presence of Priyanka Gandhi. In the original, Priyanka is heard admonishing the kids for the foul language against the PM. But, picking and choosing the portion convenient for her, Irani not only castigated her rival but also advised parents to keep their children away from Priyanka.

Worrisome trend

The BJP’s vitriolic attacks on the Nehru-Gandhis, though steeped in the Sangh’s ideological rivalry with Nehruvianism, is, ironically, a product of the Modi era. Even in the past, both parties had sparred on many occasions. But, BJP stalwarts like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani had never made it look personal with despicable jibes or derogatory slurs.
Why a leader armed with a humongous majority should attack his rival’s family and its martyrs with such bitterness is something that only a psychoanalyst can figure out. But, at the moment, it looks like an expression of puerile rage at the ‘chowkidaar chor hai’ barbs thrown at him. Instead of countering the charge with facts and logic, the PM has done what petulant kids do after a fight: let out a mouthful that crudely implies, ‘you thief, your dad thief.”

This year’s campaign has really exposed a worrisome side of the PM with his attempts to polarise elections on communal lines, seek votes in the name of martyrs, field tainted candidates and insult former prime ministers who are not around to defend themselves.
Unfortunately, such words and lack of civility do not behove the PM of India. If not from Varanasi, his own constituency, he could learn a lesson or two from the son of the PM he denigrated. Rahul Gandhi’s response to the PM’s attack reminds us how the political discourse can remain civil, polite and yet sharp even in the face of lies, slander and street talk.