The control code

Seemingly spontaneous morality campaigns are invariably inspired by shrewd political calculations 8212; and you don8217;t need to cite the Taliban to establish this. Maharashtra8217;s home minister, R.R. Patil, wishing to gain political authority and instant popularity, banished bar girls from his state. The Karnataka government responded to criticism of Bangalore8217;s liberal pub culture by ruling that bars won8217;t be allowed to operate after 11 pm.

But it is Tamil Nadu 8212; it is no coincidence that the state goes to the polls next year 8212; that is rapidly emerging as the site of competitive moral posturing. If a DMK-friendly newspaper publishes photographs of couples dancing at a private party in a five-star hotel with the view, no doubt, to embarrass the ruling party; the AIADMK police swings into overdrive, suspends the licence of the hotel and arrests its employees. In much the same vein, an actress8217;s realistic observation that pre-marital sex is no longer a taboo for the modern Indian woman, is eagerly interpreted as a frontal attack on the honour of 8220;Tamil women8221; by a smattering of political parties hoping to garner political dividends in the state 8212; like the BJP, the PMK and the Dalit Panthers.

What needs to be noted here is that there is no link between such stances, orders, bans and serious concerns like the need to address rising crime or the safety of women. All Patil8217;s anti-bar girl campaign achieved in Maharashtra was to convert a legitimate activity into an illegitimate one; push it from spaces which could be monitored and regulated, to the shadowy underground. By coming down hard on consenting adults dancing together, the Tamil Nadu police have only succeeding in outlawing behaviour considered legitimate in any civilised country. It is time civil society in this country got the politician off its back. These attempts to control the private sphere and regulate individual behaviour should be tolerated no longer.