DNA Edit: Plumbing a new low

The cliché ‘all is fair in love and war’, needs some modification for its own good. In all fairness, the poll battle in Gujarat has been marked by personal, vicious attacks, but calling the Prime Minister of India a “neech kisam ka aadmi”, was plumbing new depths of indecency.

A war for votes, however intense, cannot be a no-holds-barred assault of words that compromises the level of public discourse. In diluting the standards, Mani Shankar Aiyar, a senior Congress leader, has inflicted a crushing blow on his own party. Aiyar’s statement was contrary to the Congress’s poll strategy, devised by Rahul Gandhi who has refrained from making any personal attack on PM Narendra Modi, lest it stokes the Gujarati pride, and backfires on his party. But Aiyar, throwing restraint to the winds, has given in to base emotions. Gandhi, the party president-designate, had to take disciplinary action against his father’s former close aide, by suspending the loyalist’s primary party membership and issuing him a showcause notice. Often described as an indecisive leader, who takes time to react and respond to issues, and an amateur in the Machiavellian world of politics, Gandhi, this time, was swift and sharp. He lost no time in sending a message to the electorate that he did not “appreciate the tone and language used by Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar to address the PM. Both the Congress and I expect him to apologise for what he said”.

His back to the wall, Aiyar did express remorse, saying that, “I do apologise about the translation [of neech] which says low-born”, though he claimed he didn’t use the word in the caste context. Going by his soaring Internet popularity, his humility and sense of humour, Gandhi’s turnaround is too obvious to be missed. He now appears firmly in the saddle, leading the party from the front. He has been surprisingly prompt in weighing the pros and cons of Aiyar’s damaging remarks. It’s difficult to predict how a stray statement from a party leader can dampen the Congress’ electoral prospects, which, purportedly, is staging a comeback in a state that has been the Modi bastion since 2001.

But Aiyar, a veteran of many poll battles, should have mastered the art of bridling his tongue even when the provocation and reasons to hit back are ample. He has a history of verbal indigestion, a chronic condition aggravated by his limited understanding of the Hindi language. Aiyar had reportedly admitted to having called AB Vajpayee, a “nalayak, without understanding the meaning” of the word. This time, too, language did him in. Such recklessness, especially at a time when his party is at a crucial juncture, makes him more of a liability than an asset. The Congress will be better off if it attaches more importance and emphasis on its youth leaders who have a better understanding of the ground situation. The old guard has outlived its utility in the new era of politics. Aiyar is now prime to be benched.