Deve Gowdas expletive-laden diatribe against Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa set a new low in political discourse. While our politicians do indulge in tu-tu mein mein abuse in public,usually it is the foot soldiers who do the name calling. But in this case it was a former prime minister who used language which would make a sailor blush. The B-word was uttered more than once,with Gowda accusing Yeddyurappa of even being ready to eat footwear for money. Gowda also crossed another line by raking up the name of a former lady minister close to the chief minister,in a bid to embarrass him.
The issue that incensed Gowda was land acquisition by the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE). It was similarly over land acquisition that Deve Gowdas son H.D. Kumaraswamy had walked out of a coalition government with the Congress some years back. Gowda,however,maintains he reacted strongly to the agony of the farmers. NICE wants to acquire land for the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor at a price which the farmers feel is too low. Of course,his rivals claim that he lost his cool because it pinched his own pocket.
Gowdas outburst highlights the deterioration of public discourse in the country. The growing tendency to vilify rival parties and paint them beyond the pale has made civilised debate between rival politicians almost impossible. Reaching an understanding even on issues on which opposing sides hold a common view for instance,the pension regulatory act or the Indo-US nuclear deal in the last Parliament becomes difficult in a vitiated atmosphere,where each side regards the other as untouchable. The unhealthy and unnecessary antagonism between political parties is reflected in the slipping standards of debate in Parliament. Scoring debating points laced with humorous exchanges and quick repartee was the norm in Parliament in the early years of the Republic,where differences in views made for spirited discussions without malice and ill-will. MPs were ready to appreciate the good points of the other side,for instance,Pandit Nehru as prime minister was one of the first to recognise the promise of the new Jana Sangh MP A.B.
Vajpayee. Nowadays MPs try to win the argument by sheer lung power,jumping into the well of the House or,at times,getting physical as Amar Singh did in the last Lok Sabha session,pouncing on S.S. Ahluwalia.
While Mays Parliamentary Code prohibits abusive language in Parliament,in the open political arena there is no such restraining order. George Orwell once pointed out political speeches are written largely to defend the indefensible so the terms of engagement can get pretty nasty. During election time,even seasoned politicians get carried away and their attacks become personalised. L.K. Advani stumbled badly in the last Lok Sabha polls by describing the prime minister as useless (nikamma) and the weakest prime minister.
Neither remark went down well with the electorate. Indeed,experience shows that the public does not approve of name-calling. When Indira Gandhi remarked angrily in an election rally in 1977 that her opponents could go to hell (Jahannam mein jana) her audience was disapproving. When Rajiv Gandhi used the crude phrase naani yaad kar doonga it was perceived as being in bad taste.
The late Pramod Mahajan often got into hot water for his smart-alec metaphors. When George Fernandes,while campaigning in Bellary,said that Sonia Gandhis only claim to fame was that she married Rajiv Gandhi and gave birth to two children,he was accused of mocking motherhood.
Ghulam Nabi Azads comment wondering how Vajpayee,a bachelor,could have a son-in-law,was not well received. Sonia Gandhis description of Narendra Modi as a merchant of death (maut ka saudagar) backfired in Modis favour. Another comment by Sonia,in a speech in Assam,that Vajpayee,then prime minister,had lost his mental balance,was considered beyond the pale. So was Modis joke comparing Sonia to a Jersey cow and her son Rahul Gandhi to a hybrid calf.
Gowda,who has now to contend with angry protests by BJP supporters throughout the state,must surely be ruing his
ill-chosen words. While withdrawing his expletives and tendering an apology,he claims in his defence a lifetime in public life where he never uttered a word of abuse previously.
coomi.kapoor@expressindia.com
