dna edit: It took a blast to expose politicians

A day after we wished that there would be a 10-year gap between terror attacks in India, a bomb went off outside the BJP office in Bangalore. The blast has again exposed our inability to prevent such attacks. Fortunately, there were no casualties even though 16 people were injured.

Our politicians, across party lines, should have come together to condemn the attack and to press authorities to ensure those behind the explosion are tracked down and punished.

However, instead of a show of unity, they showed insensitivity by passing crass comments. Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad tweeted that “if the blast near the BJP’s office in Bangalore is a terror attack, it will certainly help the BJP politically on the eve of election”. The leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah went a step further to say, “It is quite possible that the BJP is encouraging these blasts to gain in elections.”

Though the Congress is trying to dissociate itself from Ahmad’s comments, one is reminded of the putrid political culture of the country. Why blame Ahmad and Siddaramaiah when there are so many other netas, cutting across the political spectrum, suffering from the foot-in-mouth disease.

The deputy CM of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar continues to draw flak for his piss-and-tell blunder. Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s unbridled tongue has landed him in trouble several times. When the nation erupted in protests following the Delhi gang rape case, Shinde called the agitators Maoists.

Close on the heels of his slip, came the “dented and painted” observation from Abhijeet Mukherjee, a Congress MP and the son of President Pranab Mukherjee.

The Trinamool Congress is also guilty of similar misconduct. One of its leaders called the Park Street rape case, ‘a deal gone wrong’.

Contrast this with the Boston blasts. Barack Obama’s political rivals are playing the role of a dignified opposition.

The words of our representatives are prompted by the arrogance of power and authority that they enjoy. They know they can get away with a lot. So, why lose sleep over a few crass comments? That says a lot about the sorry state of our democracy.