Wednesday 9 April 2014

Slapping: it's a political pornography

                         Slapped again                              Google image
Want to enjoy Political Pornography! Come to the world's largest democracy - India. This is the best time since elections are underway.

Here is the opportunity to watch leaders being slapped at the rate of a 'thappad' every second day, to watch leaders inked every week, and egged as and when any Tom Dick and Harry wills.

We Indians have turned all the stones to ensure democracy goes into drain.

Abusing political leaders is not a big deal here. We do this every single day. Frankly I cannot deride it. Abuses are expression of frustration. The political leaders have “earned” it. 

But what must be criticised and condemned in strongest decibel is slapping of a political leader, throwing ink or egg on his/her face. 

I don't bother what other countries think about such incidents happening in India, but I certainly care about where such incidents are taking us to.

Can we afford to usher a system wherein anybody can slap any leader as and when he/she desires, a system where we express ourselves not through ballot but bullet.

Today a slap, tomorrow a bullet! Is the transition impossible? Answer is “no” if we keep on degenerating at the pace we have been.

One or two such incidents can be termed as aberration, can be viewed as act of madness by some brat. But the rate at which political leaders, mostly aligned to AAP, are being slapped, inked, egged smack of a systemic devil.  

It appears to be a planned tactic. A covert system appears to be working. This covert system is making slappers out of frustrated voters. to demean rival political parties. And this devil is destroying our democracy. 

The voters are falling prey. They slap then get slapped, thrashed and even jailed. And when voters are brain-washed to pass verdict not through ballot but through slapping, democracy, of course, becomes casualty.       

67 years are insignificant for a country's age. But six decades are reasonable time for its people to realise or otherwise the worthiness of the system that has governed them - Democracy. If they find it worthy, they have to respect it otherwise they must come out in the streets and throw it.

I don't argue our democracy is flawless and our leaders are all god man. However, what can be said without fear of being countered is that democracy is the least worst system of governance in the contemporary history. Our leaders are not Benevolent Dictator of Life but they form most important aspect of democratic system. So does a common man.

Defaulting onto his promises made to people in Delhi is presented as the justification every time Kejirwal is slapped. No political party or leader in the world has ever delivered what it promised and never will this happen.

If this becomes the criterion, I am afraid we will end up slapping every political leader (exceptions are very few). Its true for India as much as its true for any other country.

Slapping, inking, egging is the most imprudent, insane, mean, nonsensical and costly way of expressing political anger or frustration.

We have the responsibility of preventing our country from becoming a laboratory for political pornography. We have to shun slapping.

Voting is on. Lets go out and spew our anger through the ballot box. A vote after all is more powerful than a slap, isn't it?

May sanity prevail.
May sanity prevail.



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