COVER STORY
A SEASONof
Hate Speeches By Muddassir Ahmad Qasmi
The 2014 elections saw face-offs and verbal pratfalls that soiled our democracy
H
indu–Muslim animosity led to the bloody partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. Since then, radical politicians on both sides have used it as a tool for polarization. Now in 2014 in a bitterly fought national election has seen increasingly ugly personal attacks; the country’s politicians have been unsparing in personal attacks and stooping to new lows in political discourse. This, unfortunately, is neither an indication of healthy politics, nor of a mature level of political consciousness.
reach to all the citizens irrespective of caste, religion or ethnic differences.
For the politicians winnibality is all. Stirring up the cauldron of caste equations, religious affiliations and ethnic solidarity, politicians try to raise the political temperature at the time of election so that the votes of certain groups favourable to them, fall in their kitty. Nevertheless, a democracy is not only about elections; it is also about governance, transparency and equity so that the benefits of a just state
The 2014 elections kicked up a lot of heat and dust with candidates dragging their opposites down by launching scurrilous personal attacks in their single-minded attempts in a bid for power. Many of these personal attacks and hate speeches were given prominent space by the media. Here we present a few instances of personal barbs and contentious comments for the benefit of our readers.
17 EASTERN CRESCENT | MAY 2014
However, it is also true that the grandstanding, speechifying, and rallying of voters to their cause—provides an inkling to the nature of governance of parties and their leaders, when they are raised to power. It is quite natural that petty politics, rather realpolitik, leads to the policies of convenience favourable to those in the power game but might become unfavourable to those outside of the charmed circle.