SC is right: Onus on politicians to refrain from weaponising religion

Over the years, the judiciary and the ECI have tried, but largely failed, to check dog-whistle politics

The 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign witnessed a desperate game of political brinkmanship, where the leading political lights, both from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress-led Opposition INDIA bloc, weaponised the country’s diversity with their divisive political speeches. On Monday, the Supreme Court brought the trend into sharper focus when it admonished Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu over his allegations that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddoos during the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government in the southern state.

The apex court observed Mr Naidu should have “kept the