Shobhaa’s Take: It happens only in India

Let’s be super generous! Let’s be fair to Shiv Sena MP Rajan Vichare and give him the benefit of the doubt. He claims he didn’t know the name or religious identity of the man into whose protesting mouth he shoved a chapatti. Does that matter? Had the catering supervisor at Maharashtra Sadan been a Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist or atheist, would it have absolved Mr Vichare? The question is redundant. We know the answer. Millions of shell-shocked viewers were left open mouthed when that dreadful footage was telecast ad nauseum across television channels. The belligerence of the act was enough to generate waves of revulsion, regardless of whether Mr Vichare’s victim was a Muslim observing rozas during Ramzan, or not.

Such high handedness is pretty common across party lines. It is just Mr Vichare’s bad luck he was caught on camera indulging in open goondagiri. Some of his illustrious colleagues in Parliament have displayed even worse conduct in public and gotten away with it. But here’s a case that disturbed an entire nation and left Mr Vichare’s patrons not just red-faced but resembling stale chapattis themselves.

Assuming Mr Vichare didn’t or couldn’t read the supervisor’s prominent name tag. Assuming Mr Vichare did not hear the supervisor’s name being called out by regulars. Assuming Mr Vichare really, really detested the food being served, can such a vicious attack on an individual be justified? Whatever the explanations in hindsight, given the history of aggressive/uncouth behaviour, one wonders whether this was a stray incident? Attacking those who are not in a position to hit back seems to come very easily to militant members of certain political parties. In this case, an incensed Mr Vichare is seen on video footage, brutally stuffing a chapatti in to the mouth of a vociferously protesting Arshad Zubair. So… if we are to believe that Mr Vichare cannot see a name tag, does it mean he cannot hear either? Mr Zubair is heard repeating over and over again that he is fasting.

Mr Vichare ignores him completely and continues to force-feed the helpless man in the presence of cronies. If this is Mr Vichare’s spontaneous reaction to bad food, it’s worth asking whether he would behave in the same fashion outside his comfort zone (Maharashtra Sadan), in which he and the others eat heavily subsidised meals! Given their antecedents, perhaps they would. But I seriously doubt it! Try and picturise Mr Vichare in a posh restaurant overseas, walking up to a snooty maitre d’ with an undercooked chicken leg in his hand and attempting to gag the man with the offensive dish. Within minutes, cops would be summoned and Mr Vichare marched off to the nearest prison.

That doesn’t happen in India. Especially to an MP. Incidentally, Mr Vichare was also the mayor of Thane. Dadagiri comes easily and naturally to our pumped up netas. They obviously believe it is their absolute right to ignore the law and engage in unruly conduct. But the Maharashtra Sadan incident has other ramifications, given the fresh facts that are emerging, starting with the plot on which it is built, to the substandard construction of the Sadan. Complaints about the poor quality food being served have been registered in the past. Plus, there have been protests about the presence of MPs from other states temporarily sharing the space. Maharashtra Sadan is a tinder box. It is too bad for Mr Vichare that his outburst coincided with Ramzan.

Enemies of the Sena, must be rejoicing secretly, given the turmoil in Maharashtra, with state elections coming up, and no leadership in sight. At an uncertain time like this, when sensitivities are indeed running high, such an incident is bound to be milked to the hilt by political rivals. Nothing works as powerfully in India as a misdemeanour involving religious intolerance. Even if one were to avoid attempts by mischief mongers to communalise the issue further, the damage has been done. And had the Sena leadership handled the crisis more adroitly when the story broke, perhaps the backlash wouldn’t have been this severe. Since no genuine apology was offered, and no action taken against Mr Vichare, people were justifiably upset. It is to the credit of the affected community that admirable restraint was shown by leaders who could easily have inflamed passions and incited trouble.

Maharashtra is going through one of its worst periods. The state elections are likely to witness bloody fights and gutter level politics as parties scramble to gain control over Mumbai — possibly the priciest real estate in the world. It is all about the money. One had hoped that if not Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aditya Thackeray, would have sensed the mood of the public and dealt with the situation in a more upfront manner. There is no shame in apologising when a community’s feelings are hurt. It is the morally correct thing to do. Leadership is about sending out the right message to party workers, and letting them know when a line is crossed. But what can even a mild-mannered, well-meaning Uddhav do when 15 out of 18 Shiv Sena MPs face criminal charges ranging from attempt to murder to using dangerous weapons to cause hurt. Under such ominous circumstances, perhaps Mr Vichare’s act of force-feeding a Muslim during Ramzan, does not appear as serious to the party?

A pity the rest of the country sees it differently.

Readers can send feedback to www.shobhaade.blogspot.com