Politics, it is said, is not the vocation for the faint-hearted. It is said that one needs a thick hide to survive in politics; and it is said that politics is war without bloodshed. Be that as it may, politics — mainstream politics to be more precise — in India has always maintained a decorum. Of late, sadly this decorum has been set aside, and the latest example being a statement by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during an election rally in Uttarakhand.

Speaking at an election rally on February 11, Sarma made a derogatory remark against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and by extension targeted party acting President Sonia Gandhi. It was not just a personal attack, but one that crossed all levels of decency, and exposed the lack of respect for any propriety in public life.

More appalling was the lack of remorse and the shameless justification of the comments, which showed that campaigning in Indian politics had plumbed to a low ebb. The silence of the BJP top brass also spoke volumes about the tacit patronage of such utterances in the guise of election speeches.

Contrast this with the political discourse at the national level in the past. Late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during a speech in Parliament in 1999 narrated how he as foreign minister got former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's portrait restored in South Block. Nehru, decades earlier, when he was Prime Minister, on many occasions praised the politician and parliamentarian in Vajpayee, even though he belonged to an opposition party. This was the level of political ethos then, with respect being the hallmark of discourse.

Coming from a political family, I have been witness to numerous exchanges between our elders and their rivals, but they can be rightly termed battles of wit or ideologies, within the prism of moral and common courtesy. Political rivals cutting across party lines and ideologies would show respect for each other while attacking their opposing parties on policies and decisions.

Sarma breached that ‘Lakshman Rekha’ of decency, and not only indulged in character assassination, but also hit below the belt.

Read full article here:
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/assembly-elections-politicians-need-to-maintain-standards-in-discourse-8119641.html