Political campaigns in India lack

maturity and a sense of decency

In a democracy, the way politicians communicate on contentious issues is crucial as it helps build public society, but is the cause of the decline of
opinion. Of late, though, the kind of language heard from our leaders is not just deeply divisive, but also in standards in society.
poor taste. Personal jibes and contempt have crept into daily discourse. Uttar Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs
comments about an advertisement promoting wild donkeys in Gujarat is the latest example of such Chaos tends to mar proceedings in Parliament as
contemptuous public speech. JAGDEEP CHHOKAR, founder-member of the Association for Democratic Reforms well as state Assemblies. What can be done to stop
and a former professor at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, speaks to Manavi Kapur about a and prevent such unruly behaviour?
new era in political discourse and what it says about our politicians and society. Edited excerpts: The chaos during the Assembly and
Parliamentary proceedings is a real shame. And,
I would not hold campaign managers the entire political establishment, all political
responsible for this. Managers cannot and, I parties, are responsible for this. The political class
believe, do not do this without the blessings of and seems to think it is above and beyond any law in
abetting by the real leaders of political parties. the country. The ruling parties and those in
It is the true decision makers in political the Opposition have been equally
parties who decide and ask or at least hint Head responsible for this denigration over the
to the campaign managers that this can or to last several years. Preventing such unruly
should be done. Head behaviour is something that can be done
either by the leaders of political parties or
Where does India stand when compared by the presiding officers of the
to other countries? How would you rate The ability of legislatures.
political campaigns in India to, say, citizens to The legislators, once again, do not
those during the presidential elections prevent unruly do this entirely on their own, just like
With UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs comment in the US? behaviour in campaign managers. This is obviously
about donkeys in Gujarat, do you feel the political Comparison of Indian politics with oth- Parliament is done at the behest and approval of the
discourse has hit a new low? er countries is not really valid, for the severely limited leadership of political parties.
The political discourse seems to hit a new low every simple reason that India has a special because citizens, I also feel that the presiding
now and then. The depth to which the discourse place in the world for not only being a as voters, can vote officers are responsible for not
falls keeps increasing with every election. The com- democracy but also the largest and the only for those maintaining the decorum in these
ment about the wild asses of Gujarat which are a most diverse democracy. It thus has a candidates who, temples of democracy. The
special species in the animal kingdom is a definite unique place in the comity of nations. political parties presiding officers feel they owe their
low. But it is not particularly lower than some of the The quality of political discourse put up in positions to the members of the
other things that have been said during this and varies across countries. Each has its elections Houses who elect them. They seem to
earlier elections. But neither two nor 2,000 wrongs own standards of acceptability or forget they also take an oath of office
make a right. otherwise. So far as the recent US elections are in which they pledge to uphold the Constitution.
concerned, that campaign came across as And, disruption of legislatures is arguably one of
In your experience, has political debate always fairly odious, primarily because of one the worst insults to the Constitution and
been susceptible to such mud-slinging? Arent particular candidate. Indian democracy.
campaign managers equally responsible for this? The political campaigns in India, in my view, are The ability of citizens to prevent unruly
No, political debate has not always been susceptible much more provocative and harmful to Indian behaviour in Parliament and Assemblies is
to such mud-slinging. The first 20 to 30 years after nationhood. They lack maturity and a sense of severely limited because citizens, as voters, can
Independence did not see such mud-slinging. This decency. One can attribute it to the decline in the vote only for those candidates who, political
phenomenon seems to have been caused by the standards of decency in the general society, but I parties put up in elections. Therefore, the buck
fiercely competitive electoral politics that come believe the causation is otherwise. The political finally stops at the door of the leaders of
centre-stage. class does not reflect the decline of standards in political parties.