It was a stormy monsoon that wasted all. And the winter heat now, is as marring, all adjourned. Day 4 of the Parliament’s winter session saw some peace. Oh yes, there’s always some deafening silence after a slap. And that is precisely what let the Lok Sabha debate. The first ever civilized discussion of the season – How can a politician be slapped?
The media in its breathless run ran the footage of Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar being assaulted by a common man. His rage evident, his anger well let out, his reason – price rise. Well that could be just one of the many. The attacker was arrested immediately, and the attack was condemned. Politicians of all clans came out criticizing the act. Anna Hazare fumbled with his doublespeak and take 2 well suited as a reaction byte. Well the first reactions are usually spontaneous, “just one?” although his team followed the socially accepted stand – condemn the act of slapping, its violence. The new age opinion thrusting, cop-judge-jury, news anchors, who slip away from reportage went on accentuating, “such acts of violence…”
”The larger question, are we as a society too intolerant?”
The media in its breathless run ran the footage of Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar being assaulted by a common man. His rage evident, his anger well let out, his reason – price rise. Well that could be just one of the many. The attacker was arrested immediately, and the attack was condemned. Politicians of all clans came out criticizing the act. Anna Hazare fumbled with his doublespeak and take 2 well suited as a reaction byte. Well the first reactions are usually spontaneous, “just one?” although his team followed the socially accepted stand – condemn the act of slapping, its violence. The new age opinion thrusting, cop-judge-jury, news anchors, who slip away from reportage went on accentuating, “such acts of violence…”
”The larger question, are we as a society too intolerant?”
The netizens though speak their mind without inhibitions and the audacious Sikh is being lauded as a Hero. Why not? He stood up for himself and the rest. The rest form a society rather too tolerant; to now have been immune to all the politicians’ whims and follies. It doesn’t stop at; neither begins with the endless scam skeletons tumbling out of the closet. It is not only about inflation going through the roof, and the plummeting GDP. It’s neither because of the bungled up land reforms nor an unhealthy business environment alone. Neither the tribal issues and the Naxalism, nor the incessant terror strikes is the reason. The rotting food grains alone don’t form grounds for the slap. The waste of the public distribution system, the loot of the taxes and the failing policies too isn’t the sole explanation. It’s because of trust deficit. It’s simply about a series of deceits, broken promises and mismanagement.
Why doesn’t the House debate and unanimously condemn the lathicharge on the farmers, on the peacefully sleeping crowds of Ramlila? No! We are to be tolerant.
A slap often shakes one off his slumber. It’s sorry that Pawar became the cheek of his entire ilk, for Pawar is an honourable man. But all honourable men rather shed their drowsy illusions lest whipping is begun. Booing Steel Minister Beni Prasad in his constituency, the aam admi, wide awake and much roused, has been pushed through his tolerances. Instead of humming Kolaveri di, the House needs to set its tune. Condemnation is not the lyrics this time round.
