What a hullabaloo over what Ronen Sen is supposed to have said about the opposition of the Left to the ‘deal’, as it is now called! What is sickening and truly distasteful, if only because it sums up the moral and intellectual level of our parliamentarians and leaders, is the fact that there was not even a whimper from them when one of their tribesmen threatened, in public, to “kill” the Bangladeshi author, Taslima Nasreen. Under the law in a civilized nation, anybody threatening to kill another human being must be arrested to prevent a possible premeditated murder. Why has no parliamentarian reacted strongly and definitively to this open challenge? Are they only concerned about their own little, precious, private and irrelevant worlds? In another instance, George Fernandes called the prime minister of India a liar. This kind of crude retort is unacceptable to decent citizens. It is crass and embarrassing for anyone who lives by correct social norms and manners. Partymen and -women might use such language at home with their families or behind closed doors in party offices but not in the public domain. It is these instances of disgraceful behaviour, and the constant use of unwarranted language tempered with undignified adjectives, that are shameful. These are bound to send a substantial number of members of the Indian political class into the dustbin of history as a new generation starts to vote.

Great leveller

After having reduced political and ideological discourse to the lowest depths possible, it is becoming virtually impossible for the majority of our representatives in the parliament and the state assemblies to hold a positive brief. It has become a vicious circle — degraded politics nurturing degraded individuals with degraded ideas and aspirations. The damning of the sanctity of the parliament by consistent adjournments triggered by impetuous walk-outs is inexcusable. To play around with the taxpayers’ money in this fashion is irresponsible and reckless. To demean those who have different views with abusive words and unseemly action is senseless and has a terrible impact on the social fabric of a great civilization. Greed for money and power, as well as other forms of greed in its broadest possible definition, could well be the basis for this degeneration of ethics in the class that rules us. It is distasteful and nauseating.

This reality becomes even more disturbing when one sees and meets the new incumbents in the political arena — young men and women with the desire to rejuvenate a tired and decrepit class of older colleagues who failed to create even the bare minimum infrastructure, just the basics for a dignified life, over sixty long years. The administrative service that, in its early years, maintained rule of law, civil order and some semblance of appropriateness, has, over the years, degenerated along with the political class it serves. The people became secondary and mass needs were neglected. The real mandate of the bureaucracy was replaced by a limited directive, one that ‘efficiently’ took care of the exclusive requirements, both professional and personal, of the leadership at the cost of the nation. Demoralization has led to anger and often, militant assault.

Corrupt practices have permeated into every crevice. If you are honest, you are deemed a misfit. In fact, honesty and integrity bring in their wake ominous threats from those who rule our lives because they upset the ‘balance’, question the comfort of the status quo and defy the complacent ‘authority’. Indians have learned to lead this corroded life that affects all citizens, poor, middle level and rich, in different measures. In sixty years, corruption, not dignity, has been the great leveller.

The baton must pass hands and civil society must be restored.