Should PM Modi chant Jai Bajrang Bali?

The election campaign in Karnataka has affirmed the apprehension that the threat to Indian democracy is not imaginary but real. This may not be shocking to those who are incapable of differentiating between power plays and democratic norms. They view politics as a war and endorse corrupt practices by quoting the obsolete phrase that everything is fair in love and war. They equate election battles with war and approve of every manipulation as morally correct. Does not the feudal phrase need to be revised in a new world of democracy? Does not democracy need a code of ethics and morality? Has our constitution not given us such a code? Elections are not wars. Instead, they are the most pious rituals of a democracy. They must be conducted with all purity and should be completely free of any malpractice. The campaign in Karnataka hardly assures us if we view it in this context. The most worrisome part of the episode is that those who have the constitutional responsibility to ensure free and fair elections indulge in making the process impure.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is being seen indulging in acts that do not befit his position. His chanting ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’ in election rallies cannot be dismissed as a usual act of electioneering. His actions become more unacceptable when he does them on the pretext that they are in response to a declaration by the Congress that it will ban such organizations that are engaged in hatemongering. The Congress has named Bajrang Dal and the PFI in this context. The Prime Minister and the BJP immediately grabbed the issue to polarize voters. They are portraying the Congress as anti-Hindu and describing the proposed ban as disrespectful to Hanuman, a popular Hindu deity. They are also contesting the proposition that both Bajrang Dal and the PFI are of similar character.

There is no doubt that the Prime Minister and the BJP are wrong in defending the Bajrang Dal. This is really absurd to portray the Bajrang Dal, a fringe organization as an organization of Hanuman worshippers. The Congress has rightly contested the proposition and cited how the Manohar Parrikar government in Goa had banned Shri Ram Sena in his state. Could it be construed as an insult to Shri Ram? The party has asked.

The BJP has been portraying every single party in the country as anti-Hindu since its inception. It has been accusing them of appeasing Muslims. Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that if Congress comes back to power in Karnataka, the state will face communal riots is part of this portrayal. The statement is objectionable in that it associates both Muslims and the Congress with riots. This is really sad that the Prime Minister or the Home Minister never try to appear as non-partisan and non-sectarian leaders. After all, they represent all sections of society. Their attempt to be seen as Hindu sympathizers violates the fundamental principle of the Constitution.

The irony is that the BJP and the RSS have always distanced themselves from the activities of the Bajrang Dal. They generally dissociate themselves from the violent acts of the organization. Now that they have come forward to defend them, it proves that they are closely linked with them. Will they support cow vigilantism and attacks on Valentine's Day celebrations?

Some political analysts are criticizing the Congress for promising a ban on these organizations. They think that it may help the BJP polarise voters. They view the promise as an impractical move. Maybe they are saying it out of sympathy towards the Congress, but they do not seem to be right. This is the time when Congress must come clear on such issues. The defensive stance on communal issues has already weakened the secular fabric of the country and given a free run to communal forces.

However, the silence of the Election Commission of India on these issues is deafening. The Commission appears to be withdrawn and uninterested. The Model Code of Conduct clearly says that no party or candidate shall engage in any activity that may aggravate existing differences, create mutual hatred, or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic.

It prohibits political parties from using caste and religion to get votes. The Model Code of Conduct says, "There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes. Mosques, Churches, Temples or other places of worship shall not be used as forum for election propaganda."

The BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, are violating another code that forbids political parties from making low-level comments on their rival parties. "Parties and Candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided," the Code says. The speeches of BJP leaders contain direct attacks on the Gandhi family, and most of them are in bad taste.

"All parties and candidates shall avoid scrupulously all activities that are "corrupt practices" and offenses under the election law," says the Model Code of Conduct. Is it not the responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure that it is not violated?

The current trends in the commission hardly give any assurance. It is seen as promoting the BJP’s prospects in the elections. We can see the role of the Election Commission in the dispute that arose after a split in the Shiv Sena. The proceedings in the Supreme Court on the petition for disqualifying defecting MLAs of the Shiv Sena have brought to light the partisan stance of the EC. It must worry all of us that those who are custodians of democracy are working against it.

(The author is a senior journalist. He has experience of working with leading newspapers and electronic media including Deccan Herald, Sunday Guardian, Navbharat Times and Dainik Bhaskar. He writes on politics, society, environment and economy)