Degeneration of intellectual climate in India

Everywhere there are signs that our thinking and feeling on issues of national importance is getting vitiated day by day. Politics is worst contributor to this intellectual pollution. What happened in recent Bihar election was a demonstration of name calling and washing soiled cloths in public. No one is untarnished in this dirt of slanderous and vicious language full of damaging one or the other. Even outside the sphere of politics, literary and journalistic parleys were also full of stink that emits from such tasteless language.

AAP led this march to using slanderous and mudslinging words. Congress too joined in by atrocious conduct in Parliament and outside. BJP  joined in by unstoppable blabber that damaged the harmony and peace of nation. To shout ‘Modi ji jid chodiye police mujhe de dijye’ was not address of a CM to PM. Lalu’s Pishach and Shairtan was too coarse as his Modoa in rustic language. Nitish led with his false compaign of Bihari DNA that was never questioned by Modi. Modi too used sarcastic and repeat abuse in the manner that was not desirable of a PM of the country. Rahul telling people that Modi was selling their land to friends was too Kiddush and too caricaturist.

This followed the two events Dadri and Mumbai ink throw case. Worse riots had taken place earlier in Muzzafar Nagar  but one Dadri murder, unjust and condemnable, was blown to national centre stage. How many times leaders of various parties had experienced shoe being thrown on them and ink or acid being thrown but no national outrage too place. Since Bihar elections were approaching this was the moment that every one tried to bake his bread. Sudhir Kulkarnai brought the former Minister of Pakistan to release his book and Shiv Sena protested by ink thrown on him. He did not wipe it out and kept it as a souvenir to stand before cameras and project it as intolerance. Sartaj Aziz Pakistani former  Foreign Minister came to India to tell how foolish was handling of 26/11 when Manmohan singh after delayed response decided to do nothing against Pakistan and chose diplomatic option that never yielded results. Was this climate of sound intellectuals discourse when all of a sudden chore was being played to corner Narendera Modi for offences that he was not responsible? But a crucial election was due and even writers joined in to return rewards for their imagined intolerance in the country. Even Shah Rukh Khan came from the blues to condemn intolerance and that too before elections. When President of India and objective commentators like Narynswami of Infosys alluded to intolerance they lent credibility to such hallucinations being promoted in atmosphere of distrust.

They were talking all kind of stories as if in a concerted plan to condemn PM at tense times of election that happened to be worse war like situation. What was the duty and role of writers and media in such times of confusion that they should have led the readers to light and tell the facts but more of distortion or abuse was propagated than painting the correct perspective. Sonia Gandhi had the credit of rarely indulging in such false allegations as many were blabbering.

Factually speaking no act of intolerance were widely prevalent in India. Dictionary defines intolerance as ” inability to tolerate the existence of opinion or behavior that one dislikes or disagrees”. No one even those who were calling names to PM was arrested or detailed or questioned by the Government agencies for such acts. No book was banned by the Government and no media channel or paper was questioned nor any one was trying to censor internet. Where the hell was the intolerance? The fact is the Salman Rushdie’s book was banned by earlier Government and Modi did nothing but he too indulged in intolerance talk forgetting that he was virtually banned from Literary Festival in India by earlier regime and not Modi. Riots and rapes had come down in statistics compared to previous year. No one was threatened but there were a few pointers that gave rise to provide fodder for such intolerance talk. BJP and its other outfits had many members talking without taking care of peace and harmony in society. These lose canons were individuals but should have been restrained as the Government certainly has to be responsible for creating a cordial atmosphere. Modi should have restrained such talk by his irresponsible leaders. Second failure was inability of the Government to project facts and denials of false talk by effective agencies. Information and Broadcasting Ministry was a failure and it did not communicate facts effectively.

The net result was that a false intolerance climate was sought to be created by determined opposition sponsored people or other dissenters, who did not expect any further patronage from this government having been denied of plane load of holiday makers on foreign joints. But it was for PM and his Ministers to strongly rebut the false propaganda and also present before nation a graceful and dignified conduct in spite of provocations. There is need for national reconciliation in order democracy to function and winning election is not enough ensuring peace and goodwill even with opponents the job of winners.

Bus Stand-First Passenger: Why Rahul and Modi go abroad so often?

Second Passenger: They go out to ease their tensions at home.

---Prof N.K.Singh former Chairman International Airports Authority of India