A Shiv Sena leader whips a crowd into a frenzy by declaring that Muslims will be taught a lesson the moment Narendra Modi (who is sharing the dais with him) becomes prime minister. A Congress leader evokes a similar frenzy by threatening to physically harm Narendra Modi. A BJP leader declares that anybody who opposes Modi will have to go and live in Pakistan. An AAP leader, young articulate and well educated, berates Muslims for being too secular. It is time, she says, for Muslims to become communal.
Hate is not new to politics and communal hatred has long been a feature of Indian elections — just witness the number of communal clashes and riots that occur in the run-up to election season time after time. But there is something both scary and profoundly depressing about the manner in which hate has now taken centre stage in this campaign. It is no longer a question of miscreants disrupting a religious procession or of goondas on the fringes of our society hurling communal epithets at their rivals.
This time around, the hatred has entered the mainstream. The people, who spout communal venom, encourage communities to turn on each other, advocate violence or make threats about the future are not hoodlums who exist in some netherworld. Nearly all of them are mainstream politicians, people who get party tickets, who appear on TV channels to represent their political masters and in some cases, even people who are household names.
When did India change to the extent that hatred and communal vitriol became an acceptable part of our political dialogue? How can mainstream figures think it is okay to talk in this way? More worrying still, why are there silver-tongued party spokespersons who will appear on TV night after night to defend this kind of behaviour? And why are parties so reluctant to take action against those who vitiate the communal atmosphere? Most get away with a mere rap on the knuckles. Oh, we are distancing ourselves from their statements, party leaders declare. Or: what he said was against our tradition. Or even: these statements were irresponsible and petty.
Petty? Irresponsible? Asking someone to impose religious apartheid in India is petty? Threatening revenge on an entire community once your leader comes to power is just irresponsible? Encouraging your followers to physically wound the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate is merely something that is a little alien to the so-called Congress tradition of love? Is it okay to simply distance yourself from somebody who tells her community to abandon secularism and wholeheartedly embrace communalism?
The weak and feeble nature of these reprimands confirms what we have always suspected. Political parties recognise that hatred wins votes. No matter how much they claim to be different or to represent the common man they yearn for communal vote banks just as much as every other party. They want their candidates and their spokespeople to get the message out. And the candidates who know that their tickets will not be withdrawn and that they will suffer no sanction from their parties leap at the opportunity. Spreading hatred is a guaranteed route to political advancement these days.
It is easy to blame the political class for injecting so much hatred into the discourse. But our generation of Indians must also share the blame. Go on to any social media platform — Twitter is just one example — and look at the posts. The level of abuse, viciousness and hatred on display is unparalleled. Say what you will about our parents and their generation but they maintained a level of civility in their discourse. The hate mongers were kept at a distance and never allowed to swim in the political mainstream. But now we revel in abusing one another and wallow in hatred.
To a large extent, politicians are only reflecting the mood of the times. They know that hatred has taken over the conversation, both in social media and on news television where violent arguments are positively encouraged. They know that there is no better way of attracting attention than by spreading hatred. And we, in turn, allow them to get away with it because we have also forgotten how to be civil with one another. It is instructive how muted the public outrage over the low level of this election campaign is. Newspapers may still write angry editorials condemning hate speeches. But for the television channels, every personal attack, every vicious abuse and every communal campaign is no more than a good excuse for yet another raucous debate where angry panelists repeat the hate-filled statements even while feigning a bogus outrage. And on social media, tweeters and trolls treat the abuse and insults spewed by their leaders as an incentive to reach for even higher levels of hatred.
Can anything change this vitiated atmosphere? I hope we can find a way. But I remain pessimistic. A society that values TV quarrels and encourages Twitter trolls has no right to expect better from its politicians.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (18)
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@Ali Tanoli: As long as the sizable Muslim population of India that is almost equal to the population of Pakistan, continue to live in India, without emigrating to Pakistan, your comments and concerns are invalid.
@Imtiaz: If as you say, Indians are realizing that the two-nation theory is indeed correct, then they should proceed to complete the split that was incomplete in 1947 due to the Indian naivete about secularism. And Pakistan should have no complaints about accommodating the mass exodus of Muslims from India, in the next decade or so. We will sweeten the deal by giving Kashmir too. Isn't that a fair deal?
I hope India doesn't become another Pakistan.
On the top it looks little uncomfortable, but I think you are making a mistake here. the indian society is more integrated now than before. Earlier thinking about inter cast or inter religion love marriage was difficult, now I know many such arranged marriages. The low level of politics that you see is because now more and more people who are not from elite class are entering politics. Earlier it was only foreign educated people who used to run the country, now it is really the people from rural and less educated background entering in politics. With time when they realise that this kind of speech is not getting them any vote they will stop using it. It will take some time but it will happen.
The general thrust of this article is correct. But it is important to distinguish between different things and not label everything as "hate speech". - hate speech: inciting hatred of a community - e.g. by Pravin Togadia, Ramdas Kadam, Amit Shah, Ramakant Yadav. - criticism of an individual, e.g. calling Modi "butcher of Gujarat". This is not hate speech. - communalism where leaders of a dominant community try to build communal identities in order to target an oppressed community for hatred and violence. - the choice by a community subject to violence to speak as a community (e.g. block voting by Dalits/Muslims in an area to defeat BJP-RSS candidates). This is not communalism. Many secular Hindus are doing the same in an attempt to preserve Indian democracy.
So, many people are saying unwise things this election, but the particular way that some members of the Sangh Parivar are trying to create hatred against minorities is the most dangerous, and tells us about what to expect if they come to power.
The author accuses RSS but in fact it was Pravin Togadia of VHP who was guilty of what she describes. He has been condemned by all including BJP. Further VHP does not contest elections and in fact in the last elections Togadia had campaigned against Modi so conflating his actions with those of Modi and/or BJP is just wrong.
Having said that, communal tensions exist all over India. But this would have reduced drastically if political parties did not try to keep the wounds green instead of letting them heal so as to exploit vote bank politics.
Yet despite all efforts, communal tensions have decreased over the years as ordinary Hindus and Muslims realize that communal tensions benefit none. The only beneficiaries are those who have captive vote banks on the basis of caste and religion.
The muslims that don't want modi should go to Pakistan, if they remember that's the homeland for subcontinental muslims.
Where is my comment? @ET - pls stop blocking perfectly reasonable comments and focus a bit more on absolutely ridiculous ones.
After watching all these thing I am wondering if it was possible living together in india??? or may be with more blood shed.
@faraz: Sensible comment.
Dear Author, While on the face of it your arguments make sense but dig a little deeper and people will realise that there is nothing better that could happen to india at this stage. After 65 years years of indirect and simmering communalization of politics finally the venom is out in the open, the festering wounds are being debated openly like it should in an open democracy on prime time television over months. And after this frenzy dies down and people return to their normal state they will ask whether they want this hatred or development. After this backlash and over compensation of majority community, finally the population will start choosing development over politics of hatred. So this is catharsis going on and its very good for the long term.
Indians are now just beginning to adopt Two Nation Theory. Its compelment to Pakistan not hate. Truth is dawning on them that Muslims are separate nation and not indians.
Excellent article by the author. Exposing something that is becoming more and more mainstream. In India. And basically all over the world. In politics. There are extreme Neo Nazis in Europe. Specially the Low Countries. Even Greece now has Nazis. This is a new trend.
There are already deep pre existing deep fissures in Indian society based on religion, race, caste and language . These fissures are exploited by political parties without exception and Election comission is not able to stop this trend.These dormant fissures become overt when the economy is bad and there are no prospects for young unemployed people..
The author is right. Today, India has no leader, just politicians who will stoop to any level for political or financial gain. The current election scenario does not bid well for the future of the country. The history of the subcontinent for the last 2000 years amply demonstrate that we, the people have had a very low moral character and have been extremely selfish. Thankfully, from time to time, we also have had leaders with a vision and love for the nation and many ordinary people who willingly gave their all for the country. (today's Pakistan was also a part of India so the above applies to Pakistan as well).
India must learn from Pakistan. Communal rhetoric will lead to disaster. It starts with speeches and slogans; riots and killings are the culmination point. Extreme polarization will breed violence which no amount of policing and administration can prevent
Muslims becoming communal in India? What portion of population do you make up again? Go ahead. Be my guest. It will be quiet a show. Short but entertaining show.