The proclivity of the politicos to shoot from the hip does more harm than good for their party’s image
People in positions of responsibility and power need to be more careful than commoners about their choice of words. The statements made by politicos, in particular, are deciphered based on what these contain between the lines and then subjected to logical interpretations and multiple conclusions. Regrettably, several of our leaders don’t think twice before disgorging in public space comments they ought to be ashamed of, bringing embarrassment to the party and slowly losing their credibility. Inexplicably, after assuming charge recently as the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Tirath Singh Rawat has fallen into this category. Even before the embers of the controversy over his “ripped jeans” remark could die down, he has kicked up another row by saying that people having smaller families got lesser Government ration during the COVID-19 lockdown than those who “reproduced 20”. He also insinuated that “families with 20 children” were having a good time on dole. The idiosyncrasy continued as Rawat pointed out that “America had enslaved India for 200 years”. Well, there can’t be an explanation for that other than Rawat skipping history classes in school.
With the latest round of gaffes, he has joined the legion of leaders known for their embarrassing statements and remarks that often spawn memes. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would arguably be at the top of the ladder with comments like “Aloo ki factory” (potato factory), his inability to differentiate between “bhrashtachar” (corruption) and “balatkaar” (rape) and several others. Rawat’s BJP colleague and Tripura counterpart Biplab Kumar Deb has apparently a similar IQ. His statements like “the roots of internet go back to the Mahabharata era”, “will chop the nails of critics” of his Government, former Miss World Diana Hayden “does not represent Indian beauty” and his bizarre statement that “the BJP has plans to form the Governments in Sri Lanka and Nepal” have already brought much ignominy to the saffron party. Also, seasoned politicians like Digvijay Singh, Shivpal Yadav and many others often make out-of-context, bizarre statements that leave their party leaders red-faced. We don’t know whether or when his party leadership will take Rawat to task and keep a check on what he says. But it must be done before he aimlessly shoots another one from the hip. After all, the party’s image suffers in the eyes of people by such acts. For the public, of course, it’s just free entertainment.
Tuesday, 23 March 2021 | Pioneer
