Political campaigns in India lack maturity and a sense of decency: Chhokar

The ability of citizens to prevent unruly behaviour in Parliament is severely limited

In a democracy, the way politicians communicate on contentious issues is crucial as it helps build public opinion. Of late, though, the kind of language heard from our leaders is not just deeply divisive, but also in poor taste. Personal jibes and contempt have crept into daily discourse. Uttar Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s comments about an advertisement promoting wild donkeys in Gujarat is the latest example of such contemptuous public speech. JAGDEEP CHHOKAR, founder-member of the Association for Democratic Reforms and a former professor at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, speaks to Manavi Kapur about a new era in political discourse and what it says about our politicians and society.

Edited excerpts:

With UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s comment about donkeys in Gujarat, do you feel the political discourse has hit a new low?

The political discourse seems to hit a new low every now and then. The depth to which the discourse falls keeps increasing with every election. The comment about the wild asses of Gujarat — which are a special species in the animal kingdom — is a definite low. But it is not particularly lower than some of the other things that have been said during this and earlier elections. But neither two nor 2,000 wrongs make a right.

In your experience, has political debate always been susceptible to such mud-slinging? Aren’t campaign managers equally responsible for this?

No, political debate has not always been susceptible to such mud-slinging. The first 20 to 30 years after Independence did not see such mud-slinging. This phenomenon seems to have been caused by the fiercely competitive electoral politics that come centre-stage. 

I would not hold campaign managers responsible for this. Managers cannot and, I believe, do not do this without the blessings of and abetting by the real leaders of political parties. It is the true decision makers in political parties who decide and ask or at least “hint” to the campaign managers that this can or should be done.

Where does India stand when compared to other countries? How would you rate political campaigns in India to, say, those during the presidential elections in the US?

Comparison of Indian politics with other countries is not really valid, for the simple reason that India has a special place in the world for not only being a democracy but also the largest and the most diverse democracy. It thus has a unique place in the comity of nations.

The quality of political discourse varies across countries. Each has its own standards of acceptability or otherwise. So far as the recent US elections are concerned, that campaign came across as fairly odious, primarily because of one particular candidate.

The political campaigns in India, in my view, are much more provocative and harmful to Indian nationhood. They lack maturity and a sense of decency. One can attribute it to the decline in the standards of decency in the general society, but I believe the causation is otherwise. The political class does not reflect the decline of standards in society, but is the cause of the decline of standards in society.

Chaos tends to mar proceedings in Parliament as well as state Assemblies. What can be done to stop and prevent such unruly behaviour?

The chaos during the Assembly and Parliamentary proceedings is a real shame. And, the entire political establishment, all political parties, are responsible for this. The political class seems to think it is above and beyond any law in the country. The ruling parties and those in the Opposition have been equally responsible for this denigration over the last several years. Preventing such unruly behaviour is something that can be done either by the leaders of political parties or by the presiding officers of the legislatures.

The legislators, once again, do not do this entirely on their own, just like campaign managers. This is obviously done at the behest and approval of the leadership of political parties.

I also feel that the presiding officers are responsible for not maintaining the decorum in these “temples of democracy”. The presiding officers feel they owe their positions to the members of the Houses who elect them. They seem to forget they also take an oath of office in which they pledge to uphold the Constitution. And, disruption of legislatures is arguably one of the worst insults to the Constitution and Indian democracy.

The ability of citizens to prevent unruly behaviour in Parliament and Assemblies is severely limited because citizens, as voters, can vote only for those candidates who, political parties put up in elections. Therefore, the buck finally stops at the door of the leaders of political parties.