Mind your language

The Nathuram Godse row and the Sadhvi's vitriol might just break the ruling party

The great transformation struggle has started in the ruling BJP--The struggle of transforming itself from a party in the opposition to a party in power. And not only a party in power but also a party which has won the May 2014 elections by a virtually unprecedented parliamentary supermajority, routing the then ruling Congress Party. Yes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now struggling to cope with the pressure of such a transformation, as is visible from the turn of events of the last few weeks.

There are certain classical compulsions of governance, which a party in power cannot ignore. One of the most important compulsions is the control over language / speech. This is something that can make or break the party in governance. Some of the recent utterances by the ruling party members clearly show that BJP is yet to learn to respect this classical compulsion of governance. It is a strange contradiction in which the BJP members who have become so used to the use of vitriolic speech are now finding themselves.

The Sadhvi’s case explains this contradiction well. During the run up to the May 2014 general elections, Sadhvi Niranjan Jypoti was one of the most sought after leaders in the Hindi heartland. And, mind it, the reason for her popularity was her ability to deliver speeches full of vitriolic attacks, laced liberally with colourful expletives. And once the elections were over she was given her share of the credit for the victory of the BJP and was made a minister. Poor Sadhvi got a little carried away (must have been feeling that the only gift she has is the gift of gab) and so, after becoming a minister continued the free flow of expletives even in public. Being a political novice, little did she realize campaign and governance are games played with a different set of rules and one must respect these rules if he/she is expected to emerge as a winner. The speeches of the Sadhvi which earned her accolades and made the BJP proud during the campaign are now spelling doom for her political career and are fast becoming a major source of embarrassment for the BJP. The Sadhvi is not alone in this -– comments on Nathuram Godse and the Ram Temple in the recent past by members of the ruling party are more such examples.

The free use of expletives while in opposition and the tight control over the tongue while in governance is an art which only an astute politician can learn. Since BJP has a large number of political novices, the party will do well if it immediately starts teaching this art to its members.