Rapidly deteriorating political climate is worrisome

It is noteworthy that the PM has stopped talking about Modi Guarantee though the BJP manifesto is full of his promises. His only formula now is to brainwash and continue to brainwash the people and retain power with Char Sau Paar at any cost, including creation of social distrust

The rapidly changing climate change is worrisome but more than that the political climate is a reason for concern for all democracy loving people. First, let me deal with the political climate.

The standard of public speeches and campaign style during elections goes down so low that it never recovers. The current poll season is witnessing the lowest of the lows and the politicians, right from the PM, do not seem to realise the damage that they are doing to the credibility of political communication. Either as a media trainer or a guest lecturer for media students, I dare not use the current level of political communication as a case study. I used to talk about the 2014 campaign by Narendra Modi as an effective political communication, striking the right chord with the voter in the absence of any hope in the scam-hit UPA. But no more. The desperation to achieve the Char Sau Paar target is breaking all norms.

The dust storm raised from Rajasthan by PM Modi against the Congress manifesto stating that the document has the Mughal stamp is absolutely baseless. The manifesto does not use the Muslim or Mughal word anywhere. At the best, the document says all religions will be allowed to have their personal laws. To top it, Modi tells a TV channel that it is the job of the media to analyse the Congress manifesto. “I eagerly waited for 10 days for this and with no one talking about it, I was forced to raise my voice,” Modi says.

Then he comes up with the theme that the Congress and INDI Alliance (he refuses to refer to it as INDIA) would snatch Mangalsutras from women and even the money that they save in their Bajra tins. Again, he quotes the Congress manifesto for this non-existent theory. In reality, many housewives forgot to exchange the currency notes saved in masala boxes and rice/bajra tins during the demonetisation. As a result, the currency notes were reduced to waste paper.

The PM then refers to an X Ray machine that Rahul Gandhi was supposed to have got from his foreign trips and that the Congress will use this machine to detect money and ornaments saved by housewives.

Modi doesn’t stop there. He says the goods seized from the people will be distributed among Muslims and intruders.

Unfortunately, this low-level language sells as the dust of religion raised by the BJP hypnotises the audience.

The PM and his Cabinet Ministers ought to counter the Congress manifesto on its guarantees of filling the 30 lakh government job vacancies and assuring Rs 1 lakh each for poor women and educated youth. These are not freebies. The youth will get an apprenticeship and be paid for this for one year. The BJP failed to implement MSP as a legal right for the farmer and the Congress has picked up this challenge.

PM Modi has promised, in his previous election speeches, that the black money stacked in Swiss banks will be brought back and distributed among the people, that all people will get housing by 2022, the farmers’ income will double and he will create 2 crore jobs a year. He and his team owe an explanation on each of these unfulfilled promises. Since they do not have anything to say, they began to show the Vikasit Bharat 2047 carrot which too obviously failed to click. This probably explains the reason for the panic and off-balance political gimmickry by the BJP.

Attacking political rivals based on ideological differences is understandable but not certainly the personal attack and jibes. It is unacceptable for the Prime Minister to come down to the level of alleging that former PM Rajiv Gandhi had scrapped the inheritance tax law to save his mother’s total earnings for himself.

On the one hand, Modi blasts Congress for scrapping the inheritance tax while on the other he says Rahul Gandhi will bring it back and loot the people and distribute the wealth among the Muslims. And he says, wrongly though, he has read it in the Congress manifesto.

It is noteworthy that the PM has stopped talking about Modi Guarantee though the BJP manifesto is full of his promises. His only formula now is to brainwash and continue to brainwash the people and retain power with Char Sau Paar at any cost, including creation of social distrust.

The real climate change: Now let me turn to the real climate change that is intensifying existing occupational safety and health (OSH) challenges. International SOS which works on occupational safety and health says organisations must prioritise proactive solutions now.

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work observed on April 28, with the theme, "Impacts of climate change on occupational safety and health," highlights the urgency of this evolving threat. The International Labour Organization (ILO) latest report estimates that over 70 per cent of the global workforce faces potential exposure to climate-related health hazards. These hazards include extreme heat stress, worsening air quality, and more frequent and severe weather events.

Dr Olivier Lo, Global Medical Director, Occupational Health Services, at International SOS, says “the escalating threats of climate change necessitate a heightened focus on managing risk exposure and health incidents for the workforce.

“We saw an 80 per cent increase in climate-related medical alerts throughout the majority of 2023 compared to 2022,” he says.

With climate change adding urgency, it is crucial for organisations to acknowledge its combined impact with existing OSH threats. This is key to effectively ensuring the workforce safety, health and managing productivity, he says.

The traditional focus of occupational health and safety on physical safety, accident prevention, and maintaining a sustainable work environment has overlooked a critical factor, the impact of climate change on workforce wellbeing.

Dr Vikram Vora, Medical Director – Indian Subcontinent pointed out that with Southeast Asia bearing the brunt of an unprecedented heat wave this year, it is essential for organisations to go beyond mere compliance and redesigning their workforce health and wellbeing programs to include the capability to respond to health threats posed by climate change.

Extreme weather events and climate-related disasters pose a growing threat to mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. These events can trigger a range of emotional responses, including distress, anxiety, depression, grief, and even suicidal behaviour.

I very strongly endorse these concerns and feel that our politicians need to focus on such real issues. Both the BJP and Congress manifestos do mention the environmental issues from 35,000 feet height. They need to discuss the nitty-gritty and involve the people. What is the point in frittering away their time and your (I mean the voter) time on non-existent, frivolities? And when will you the voter realise that the top politicians must stop using the nonsensical messages such as ‘War Rukwadiya Papa’ and ‘Mangal Sutra CheenLengey’.

Ask. Ask them to talk about the real issues that matter to you, me and all of us.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)