Disgusting Democratic Discourse!

With the month long Indian elections meandering its way to an end, one thing that stood out this time was the political lingua that played out during the entire campaigning phase. It was a joy to hear political debates of the yesteryears when the focus of the debate revolved mostly around the agenda and promises of the rival parties. The fact that these promises or agendas never saw light at the end of the day is another story for another day; at least the language and the dignity with which these electoral speeches were scripted and delivered were exemplary.

The words and phrases that have been used in these elections have marked a new low in the discourse of parliamentary democracy. The political parties have vied with each other to raise the bar or rather raise the belt so that they get sufficient terrain below the belt to play with. In fact they were competing with their rivals to earn black points from the Election Commission that they considered electoral brownies.

The would be parliamentarians have indulged themselves in a verbal free for all which made it appear like a curtain raiser of their presence and performance in the next five years inside the august house. The only solace was that the un-parliamentary behaviour / language was outside the sanctum sanctorum during the curtain raiser, but would soon move in, come the 16th of May.

Some of the points / words / phrases around which the debates revolved were, the importance of a 56 inch chest to rule the country, abbreviated family names, scurrying rodents, a soft drink slogan, one called the other a butcher, while, someone said the other was honeymooning and furthermore some came up with very harsh communal overtones. However the clincher was, when one senior parliamentarian claimed he was better at hiding his girlfriend than the aspirant to the big power seat was, at hiding his wife. Can it get any better? It sounded more like a street fight among 5th graders after losing a game of cricket. Comparison to 5th graders is actually a compliment to these guys, because they discussed toffees too which normally figures in 2nd grader conversations. Each and every one of those above phrases was picked up and deliberated on prime time by the TRP hungry media. 

Well it is understandable that when the stakes are high, tempers are bound to fly but unfortunately what I found was most of the modern day politicians have been too naïve and played their way into the hands of the media who have had a professionally fulfilling last 45 odd days.

My only prayer and wish is that, good sense prevails amongst these would-be parliamentarians and they realise how fortunate they are to lead a country so diverse yet united given all the shortcomings. Somewhere amongst the discourse of toffees, butchers, rats and 56 inch chests, the fact that we nudged Japan to become the 3rd largest economy speaks volumes of the efforts and resilience of WE THE PEOPLE. Democracy they say is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Fortunately or unfortunately the ones who were found squabbling over trivial issues in their political discourses are one among us. I’m not sure if they will be FOR THE PEOPLE when they enter the gates of the parliament later this month.

I was certainly disgusted with the democratic debates of this elections and hence the title, and as rightly pointed out by my daughter who made a passing remark asking me if I was writing about the 3rd Dimension of Democracy since it had 3D’s.

That’s when I realised this was certainly the 3rd, but the ugliest dimension to the democratic process I have been witness to in the last 4 decades.