India's sinister ministers a slap in face
By Neeta Lal
NEW DELHI - Indian newspapers were recently abuzz with reports of two prominent
ministers publicly assaulting officials.
Union Minister Akhilesh Prasad Singh created a furor by reportedly beating up a
Kingfisher airline station manager following a heated altercation in which the
latter didn't allow him to board a plane after the boarding call. Meanwhile,
Tourism Minister Tukoji Rao Pawar was thrown in jail for obstructing the work
of a lady sub-divisional magistrate and "threatening and intimidating her".
Pawar's misdemeanor, an ominous prequel to assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh
ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was enough to fire up his
detractors. Although the tantrum led to
his immediate arrest on the charge of "obstructing official work in a dispute
over a poll-related issue", he was released soon after complaining of chest
pain.
Indian parliamentarians' abuse of public officials, throwing their weight
around and making unjust demands to get their way, has lately become a common
occurrence. Blame it on election pressure - with polls in six Indian states
already underway and general elections scheduled for March - but it seems these
elected representatives feel entitled to undue privileges and unquestioned
deference.
This attitude - a throwback to the British Raj - reeks of a quintessentially
feudal mindset which is at variance with India's exponential growth in the
global arena and its status as the world's largest democracy.
For instance, in September, popular Indian film actor Govinda - who won on a
Congress ticket from north Mumbai - slapped a trespasser on a film set.
According to the actor, the trespasser was "aimlessly roaming on the sets and
kept staring at me".
Insiders tell a different story, claiming that the trespasser's slap was a
reflection of Govinda's pent-up frustration over media flak coming his way for
ignoring his constituency. This, perhaps coupled with the actor's sagging film
career, prompted him to behave in the violent, immature and politically
incorrect manner.
Diehard politicos aren't the only ones misbehaving in public. This year,
writer-turned-politician Tejaswini Sriramesh, who defeated former premier Deve
Gowda in the 2004 Lok Sabha (Lower House) polls from Kanakpura in Karnataka,
was caught screaming in public and behaving like a prima donna.
The incident occurred in Bangalore when Sriramesh was asked to get out of her
car and walk to the venue where the president of India was scheduled to appear.
Even though this was a constitutional requirement, it so infuriated Sriramesh
that she started screaming, "I have a VIP pass and I am a VIP!" She continued,
"We are the ones who make the president and she's here because of us elected
MPs!"
While such misbehavior might slip under the radar in normal times, it assumes
loaded significance in an election year. More so because in these times of
non-stop media coverage, politicians are watched not only by the local press
but also the international media.
"Nowhere in the world have I seen public figures behave in such a disgusting
manner as in this country. They are surrounded by cronies, treat their
constituencies as their fiefdoms, spit publicly and visit their constituencies
only to beg for votes," said the bureau chief of a prominent foreign news
agency in New Delhi. "The genuinely good politicians in India are too few and
far between."
According to social scientist Dr Karnesh Puri of Delhi University, this
behavior can be traced to the example set by British rulers who dominated
Indian politics for centuries. "Taking their cue from these erstwhile rulers
with a feudal mindset, today's leaders believe that they have the license to
misbehave and take liberties with the public," said Puri. "What's worse is that
people don't have the gall to tell these politicians where to get off. Nobody
raises a voice in protest to put them in their place."
It was precisely this pusillanimity in evidence this month when the Bhartiya
Janashakti Party's district general secretary, Anil Rai, was slapped by his
fiery party president, Uma Bharati. Apparently, Bharti was infuriated when Rai
disturbed a meeting between her and other party workers by repeatedly calling
them on their mobile phones. This made her so angry she asked Rai to get out of
his car and slapped him twice in front of several people. Later, to prevent the
incident from becoming fodder for the opposition and media, Bharati told
journalists that Rai was like her "brother" and she had a right to "hit him".
In another much-publicized act, former senior minister Sahib Singh Verma
threatened the staff of Jet Airways with "dire action" after an altercation.
Rather than protest the minister's attitude, Jet issued an apology before an
inquiry could ascertain who was at fault.
What is it that makes Indians capitulate to those in power? "Fear", says civil
rights activist Gunit Gandhi.
"Businesses are petrified that they could be raided or given a tough time by
tax authorities if they stand up to politicians or protest their misbehavior,"
said Gunit. "Some feel that they will be deprived of lucrative contracts or
their payments may be delayed if they show any sign of resistance to the
inconvenience caused by the politician."
Such kowtowing to politicians is hardly typical to the West. "Frankly, I can't
imagine a flight being held up to accommodate a senator," said Puri. "It's time
the public stood up to protest strongly if they are inconvenienced because of a
VIP. Politicians ought to be made more answerable and accountable in India".
However, activist Gunit believes that the reality in India is "why confront,
when you can conform?" It is this meekness that prevents Indians from standing
their ground and punishing the politician, he told Asia Times Online.
So, until Indians can learn to stand up for themselves, India's ministers may
just continue to act sinister.
Neeta Lal is a widely published writer/commentator who contributes to
many reputed national and international print and Internet publications.
(Copyright 2008 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please
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