There was a time when our politicians used to give much importance to self-respect. And, that’s why they respected others too. This feature has gradually vanished from the character of most of our present day politicians. Undoubtedly, every rational and judicious person carries with him/her some noble notion and regards revolving round self-respect. It is rightly said that if this quality dries up and remains dead in a person, he or she goes down to the level of animal. In this respect most of our political leaders of the past did have a distinctive feature if compared to most of the present day ones. Below are mentioned some instances which make the matter quite clear.
It must not be taken lightly that ministers, with self-respect, spoke up, spoke out, arguing their viewpoints meticulously. And at times, when they found their self-respect being injured, they thought better to move out of the cabinet. Babasaheb Ambedkar tendered his resignation from Nehru’s cabinet out of what may be called plain self-respect. He felt he was not being given his due. V.V. Giri resigned over the right to strike, C.D. Deshmukh over the proposed separation of Bombay from Maharashtra, Lal Bahadur Shastri taking ‘moral responsibility’ for the Ariyalur train crash, T.T. Krishnamachari following strictures, C. Subramaniam and O.V. Alagesan resigned from Shastri’s cabinet on the ‘imposition’ of Hindi, Morarji Desai from Indira Gandhi’s on being stripped of the finance portfolio. Vishwanath Pratap Singh’s resignation from Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet is more recent. All these showed the ministers concerned were ‘their own persons’, giving due consideration to self-respect.
Today, a resignation from the national cabinet or a state assembly over policy, or out of a sense of personal ‘maryada’ is rare, rather almost unthinkable. Resignations are offered, but then invariably retracted. So, does that mean that cabinets in India today are a dream of concordance and togetherness? Is there such an overwhelming, unprecedented endorsement of the leader’s vision that the mind of each and every minister is at perfect peace? Or is it that no one in authority today – civil servants, diplomats included – has the boldness coupled with confidence to question, criticise and/or suggest any change in the policy adopted? Loss of position and pelf (money) is an immobilising fear which plays a pivotal role in their political life.
Can anyone in power today tell the prime minister that loyalty is one thing, fear another, that discipline is one thing, obedience another? Can anyone say to him that humour, that simple gift of the unafraid mind called frolic, is not at all a bad thing? Especially when aimed jestingly at oneself, not sarcastically at opponents? All these qualities seem to have evaporated completely. It is quite evident, when observed minutely, that most of our politicians, especially those associated with the BJP, appear to have trodden upon the ethics and moral values that play an uppermost role in moulding our character and make life more enjoyable and worth living.
It is not wrong to say that the time has gone when our politicians stood for something they believed just and right. They had the sacrificing spirit in their hearts that always urged them to serve the people, irrespective of caste, creed, language and religion. In the 4th century B.C., Plato, a Greek philosopher, attempted to answer the question: “How are good rulers made?” “Unless philosophers, bear kingly rule or those who are now called kings and princes become genuine and adequate philosophers,” he (Plato) wrote in The Republic, “there will be no respite from evil.” Our present day political leaders must be taken as kings and princes of Plato’s time.
But most of our present day politicians have been looking at it differently. Politics to them has become now more of a profession to get rich quickly. A majority of politicians are engaged in the trade of politics to make money and enjoy power.
Let us cast a meaningful glimpse on the functioning in our Parliament. There clearly appears a fractious relation between the government and the opposition, inside Parliament and outside. Undoubtedly, what leaders today forget is that political rivals are not adversaries. In fact, Opposition must be supposed to be just the other side. Both are supposed to work for good governance and for the betterment of the whole nation. There may arise some topics inviting differences in opinion. In democracy argument and counter-argument play a crucial role which cannot be ignored.
I cite here one incident which took place in parliament when Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister. C. Rajagopal Acharya of the Swatantara Party moved an amendment to a proposed law. But Jawaharlal Nehru saw no merit in it. Nehru also pointed out that the majority of the House was anyway with him. Rajagopal Acharya shot back: “You may have the majority but I have the logic.” Nehru was quite magnanimous to incorporate the amendment. Was it not the beauty of the Indian Parliament then? One must not forget that size of the Opposition did not matter. What matters is the genuine thinking and inclination to work together for the betterment of the nation.
A few words about ‘lynching’ will not be, I suppose, irrelevant here. Under the aegis of the present central government, lynching has become the most striking feature of the nation. It is not our country’s moral view to kill someone because we don’t like their face, their religion or language. In fact, the present government wants to keep it running for the accomplishment of its vested interests. Most of the politicians with the present central government have nothing to do with Hindus or Muslims. What they give uppermost importance is to secure power. They think less of the unity without which a country can never be economically sound and healthy and politically powerful.
So far the ‘saffron’ colour is concerned, a friend of mine, a social worker, told me that saffron is supposed to symbolise sacrifice. But such is the BJP’s artistry that this colour is now associated with aggression and bigotry in ‘New India’ (the slogan constructed by our P.M.). He further said that ‘crayons’ which stand to reason are safer in the hands of children than politicians.
Indeed, India is passing through a tragic phase where people are frightened to voice their opinions and concerns. If someone dares do this, he/she is at once labelled as ‘anti-national’. Very recently the High Court, while referring to the daily violence as a free-for-all, asked if everybody now needed police protection to speak their minds. Similarly, the judges have been expressing dissatisfaction at the failure of Central and state investigating agencies to arrest the murderers of Narendra Dabhokar, who was killed in 2013 and Govind Pansare shot in 2015. It is but quite deplorable that such a long time has passed but the murderers are not traced out.
It is also to be noted with much concern that we have been listening to the hate speeches delivered not by foot-path-dwellers or very ordinary persons, but by the educated politicians associated with the ruling party. They appear to have become the audacious perverters of truth. There is none in the government run by BJP to bridle their tongue. In an astounding and pathetic instance of hate speech, the BJP MLA from Telangana, T. Raja Singh Lodh said that the illegal Bangladeshi settlers and Rohingyas in India should be ‘shot’ if they did not go back. In any civilized country where some importance is given to ethical/moral values, Mr. Lodh should have been put behind bars. But within the BJP, he may well get a ‘promotion’, not to say of even a softly-worded reprimand.
Well, I started writing on ‘self-respect’. It pains me to say that not even a slight glimpse of ‘self-respect’ is found in most of our present day politicians. And, because of absence of this quality from the character of most of our politicians, we have to face some ugly and untoward situations. I quote below what an Iranian political theorist and philosopher, Ramin Jahanhegloo wrote in an article titled ‘The Decline of Civilization: Why we need to return to Gandhi and Tagore’.
“Though the history of civilizations in all parts of the world has not always been peaceful and cultures and societies have remained isolated from one another, yet in the past the idea of common humanity triumphed over perceived differences time and time again. Each time polarizing revolutions and wars fractured civilizations everywhere at different periods of history, an emphatic vision of common humanity emerged. The common shared sufferings were embodied by a common human capacity for empathy and exchange. One could say, therefore, that the core meaning of human civilization has always been related to the idea of appreciation of a common humanity. There is in the history of human civilization an emotional action beyond the facts and events, in terms of human empathy.”
We can only wish and pray that essence of ethical values may prevail upon the soul and mind of the politicians who give least importance to self-respect. It is but an irony that most of us ask others to speak the truth while we ourselves blatantly go on telling lies in public and private. Our words and deeds must reflect our moral sense in every sphere of political and social life. ‘Self-respect’ must be taken as a mirror which reflects man’s inner quality.
It is beyond any doubt that we have created so many differences on grounds of religion, language, caste and creed, etc. and it has become very difficult to forge unity. But, we have to struggle and strive hard continuously. We need to understand them in the context of the time we all live in, analyse them with the lens of today and at times take off our tinted glasses to see clearly. We need to shake off the shackles of prejudice, hatred and narrow-mindedness to make our society and life healthy, peaceful and pleasing”.
I conclude this article quoting a couplet by philosopher-poet Allama Iqbal. “Jaha’n Bani Sey Hai Dushwar ter Karey Jaha’n Beeni / Jiger Khoo’n ho t’o Chashm-e-Dil Mey Hoti Hai Nazr Paida.” (It is a tremendously difficult task to see (and understand) the world than to rule over it / Inner eyes become capable of seeing correctly when passion and (worldly) desire are strangulated.