Panauti row: Rahul Gandhi’s gaali politics, attack on PM Modi is a new low

(Guru Prakash)

The perversion of political discourse in the recent election campaign to five crucial states is a new low in Indian politics. The name-calling by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is an indication of the deep-seated sense of entitlement in our political system. There is a strong belief in a section of the political establishment that only one family has the right to rule over the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suffered sustained, institutional hatred at the behest of this section. From commenting on his humble origins to a very despicable comment on his father by Mallikarjun Kharge – such statements are unwarranted and unhealthy for our democracy.

It is no longer surprising as similar verbal attacks were made on the first ever tribal woman who has reached the highest constitutional office in the country, Rashtrapati Draupadi Murmu. From referring to her as a representative of a “devilish” mindset to the severely distasteful “Rashtrapatni” comment by the Leader of Opposition — her dignity was assaulted by this elite political establishment as they could not accept the arrival of a tribal woman from one of the most backward regions of the country at Raisina Hill. Karpuri Thakur, former CM of Bihar and one of the most vocal advocates for the rights of the marginalised sections also faced similar diatribes. Santosh Singh, senior journalist and author of the book Ruled or Misruled has observed that there was a slogan when Karpuri Thakur ascended to the throne of Chief Minister in Bihar, “Karpuri kar poora, Chhod Kursi Pakad Ustura”. Since he came from the barber community, he was asked to vacate the chair of CM and get back to his traditional profession.

B R Ambedkar, on the eve of the adoption of the Constitution, warned the nation of such overbearing, deep-seated and archaic social sentiments. “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of…social democracy. What does social democracy mean? It means a way of life which recognises liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life…

…They form a union of trinity in the sense that to divorce one from the other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy …Without equality, liberty would produce the supremacy of the few over the many. Without fraternity, liberty would produce the supremacy of the few over the many. Without fraternity, liberty and equality could not become a natural course of things. It would require a constable to enforce them.”

Social democracy is a precondition for political democracy — this statement continues to be relevant even today. Social justice is a public good and not a matter of politics. The likes of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are simply following a tradition, for which they cannot be blamed. They represent the feudalism of Indian politics. Rajiv Gandhi in 1982 as the Congress General Secretary publicly reprimanded the then Dalit CM of Andhra Pradesh T Anjaiah. Neerja Chowdhary, senior journalist recalls in her How the Prime Minister Decides the pain of Babu Jagjivan Ram when he says that a Dalit can never become the prime minister of this country. While both Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi could award Bharat Ratna to themselves in 1955 and 1971 respectively, Ambedkar had to wait four decades after his death for a non-Congress government at the Centre for the civilian honour.

Sitaram Kesari, a leader of consequence from the backward community and Congress president, was insulted, reportedly at the behest of Sonia Gandhi, at the Congress headquarters. The audacity of Mani Shankar Aiyar to say that Modi can come and sell tea outside the Congress conclave is telling. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi referring to the PM as “panauti” is nothing but another chapter in the tradition of feudalism and entitlement that he represents. The caste census and social justice are just slogans for Rahul Gandhi. India has moved on and so has our democracy. We have become aspirational and inclusive. From leading the remarkable voice of the Global South to ensuring a permanent seat for the African Union at G20, the world is looking at us with a sense of hope.

A word of Darwinian advice to Rahul Gandhi: Evolve and welcome social democracy. Accept a tribal President and a PM from an extremely backward caste, or your political career will perish.

(The writer is national spokesperson, BJP)