Iniquitous and Low in Facts: This is not a Prime Minister’s Language

On 7th February, 2017 during his speech on the motion of thanks for the President’s address, the Prime Minister of India swayed fellow parliamentarian, through insult and personal abuses, most notably among them were the infamous “Kutto ki parampara (tradition of dogs)” and the “raincoat in bathroom” jibe at the former PM Manmohan Singh. Everyone started to recall when such unparliamentary language was ever recorded by any PM in the history of Indian Parliamentary democracy inside the Parliament. Our Parliament saw a new low. It was thought that the widespread criticism that followed thereafter will have some constructive effect on PM Modi, but he kept on demeaning the dignity of PM’s institution right through his election speeches across the poll bound UP.

The high voltage UP elections is Modi government’s stern test post the self-confessed surgical strike on corruption, i.e. demonetization. At an election rally on 19th of February, in Fatehpur, UP, the skeletons of 2002 were out when he went berserk saying “Gaon mein kabristan banta hai to shamshaan bhi banana chahiye; Ramazan mein bijli aati hai toh Diwali mein bhi aani chahiye. Bhed-bhaav nahin hona chahiye (If a village has a graveyard, it should also have a cremation ground; if there is electricity during Ramazan, then it must be available during Diwali too. There shouldn't be any discrimination based on religion.)."

Post-2014 the corporate media labelled all the communal incidents and hate speeches as fringe exploits.  PM’s silence was made to be justified as he cannot be speaking on every stray incident amidst his enormous work schedule. Sceptics were made to believe that Modi has moved away from Godhra to Vikas (Development).  But hasn’t the Vikas Purush proved his acolytes wrong in Fatehpur?

The Prime Minister has not moved an inch from his stated position in 2002, where he wanted to get water for the Gujaratis in Shravan and not Ramazan. Clearly sab ka saath, sab ka vikas is not his cup of tea.

In states where BJP is facing tough opposition, use of communal dyes is BJP’s ‘back to basics’ strategy. In Bihar assembly election, Amit Shah infamously suggested that if they did not come to power in the state, crackers would be heard in Pakistan. In West Bengal, RSS is working overtime in spreading communal hatred notable reflected by substantial increase in Hindu-Muslim riots in many parts of the state. But in UP elections, a PM of India openly playing communal card is a first of its kind.

The rhetoric speeches by Netas in election rallies has been bread and butter in Indian politics for ages. But when you hear the Prime Minister stating facts wrong to get votes, minds start to wonder about the health of Indian politics.

PM claimed in an election rally that UP is the number one state when it comes to crime. But according to NCRB records of 2015, 27 states and UTs had higher incidence of rapes than UP, 21 had higher murder rates, 19 had higher rates of kidnapping and abduction, 16 had higher rates of rioting and 18 had higher rates of thefts. BJP-administered states such as Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh had higher incidence of murders than Uttar Pradesh. BJP-ruled states of Haryana, J&K, MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Goa also reported more kidnapping cases than UP. Also, BJP-administered states of Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan witnessed more instances of rioting than Uttar Pradesh.

Modi slammed the Samajwadi Govt for discrimination in funds allocation to pilgrims. But as per official data of the Samajwadi Shrawan yatra scheme of the UP government, ample facilities and funds were given to pilgrims to Rishikesh, Devbhoomi, Hardwar, Ajmer Sharif, Pushkar, Sindhu Darshan, Mansarovar, Rameswaram and Tirupati.

On 24thof February, in Gonda, UP, addressing an election rally, PM Modi said that “Kanpur rail accident in which hundreds were killed was a conspiracy & conspirators carried it out sitting across the border”. He appealed for votes in the name of ‘nation security’. But in fact, the NIA probe revealed that there was no sabotage. According to the official data, derailments in Indian Railways had shot up by 67% till November,  2015 due to crappy infrastructure.

The main issues of UP elections like education, corruption, unemployment, electricity, law and order, hunger &poverty went missing from his speeches and instead misleading facts, communal incitation and rhetoric took the centre stage.

Today is 2017. BJP’s PM candidate of 2014 is now India’s Prime Minister. He has the weight of decency, dignity and civility to maintain through his speeches as the Prime Minister of India. Now he cannot afford to go uncivilized, communal and factually low in public rallies or inside the parliament. He is everyone’s Honourable Prime Minister, from the RSS to the Opposition.