A file image of the Congress flag
Indian politicians across the party divide are often in the news for the wrong reasons. While the list of such reasons is quite exhaustive, and it would not be an easy task to delve into it, the fact remains that apart from corruption, ludicrous comments by political leaders make it to the headlines with a monotonous regularity. While it is an accepted fact that politicians are often economical with the truth, now, on top of that, some of their comments make people wonder whether their leaders are commenting on a serious issue or taking part in a comedy show. Politicians in the country seem to have been severely affected by the “foot-in-mouth” epidemic.
Some comments made on public platforms are illogical, insensitive, defamatory, and nonsensical, which make people wonder about their intellectual capabilities. While politicians suffering from this ‘disease’ have always existed, the list is now growing at an alarming rate due to the media explosion, as many politicians think making controversial statements can get them free and easy publicity – so necessary for their survival. Indian politicians have become a laughing stock by making really stupid statements on varied issues. Apart from being nonsensical, loose comments made by politicians have the potential to ignite emotions across the country. Several incidents of violence in the country have been sparked by insensitive comments made by political leaders.
Every party has its own set of offenders, who thrive on making controversial and ludicrous comments, but the irony is that no efforts are made by the top brass of the parties to restrain them. Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal had used wild allegations against rival political party leaders to catapult him to the top.
While initially it worked for him, later, after a slew of defamation charges against him for levelling serious allegations against people without any hard evidence, he had no way out but to tender apologies. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, too, has been making comments against his political rivals and institutions, which his opponents claim to be ludicrous, defamatory, and without any substance. While Rahul Gandhi’s comments on issues of national interest have drawn flak from the ruling party on a number of occasions, this time the Supreme Court expressed its displeasure over one of his comments.
On Monday, the apex court pulled up Rahul Gandhi for his remarks about the Indian Army during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in December 2022, stating that “a true Indian will not say all this.” The court questioned Gandhi’s choice of words and the platform he used to make his contentious statement. The Supreme Court’s criticism should serve as a warning to repeat offenders across the political spectrum not to make comments without verifying the facts.