Political punishment must for Sadhvi Jyoti

What is it that makes BJP leaders use foul, communally-charged, intemperate language when they are out speaking in public, as we saw with Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti just the other day?

Partly, it is in the nature of things. Especially at the lower and middle levels, leaders of the party (and the rank and file they emerge from) are steeped in the RSS ethos of trumpeting so-called “Hindu values and being directly or slyly abusive towards Islam and Christianity (religions with their roots in foreign lands, according to standard RSS catechism) in their enthusiasm to praise their own religion.

So even when an MP is made a minister at the Centre, the person cannot shake off the ideological layering of years in the typically non-cosmopolitan environments of small-town India. Their counterparts from other parties too can get nasty in public speech, but rarely in deeply communal ways, and that’s the difference. The offence they cause usually takes a political form or may descend to the personal level, although there might be exceptions.

As for Ms Jyoti, she (and others like her) might not even be aware of the boorish and dangerous enormity of what they do. In effect, the minister has said that those who are not “Ramzada” (in this context “Hindus”) are “haramzadas” (illegitimately born). Because words are made to rhyme, such perversity can pass for humour for some. It might just be beyond their comprehension why such a “fuss” was made in both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday following the deeply disturbing remarks of the “sadhvi” (a holy woman who has taken the vows of renunciation).

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows Ms Jyoti the door by dropping her from the Union Council of Ministers, the message will go out in double-quick time even among the RSS faithful that they cannot cross the line if they are serious about operating India’s democratic Constitution.

But Mr Modi is unlikely to do that for fear of alienating RSS’ followers and core supporters who worked so hard for his electoral victory. Indeed, Mr Modi has studiously avoided singling out the likes of the sadhvi and visiting political punishment on them. Merely making oblique references — as he did in the sadhvi’s case — to such gross conduct has little effect as it has zero penal value. During the Lok Sabha election campaign, Giriraj Singh of Bihar had made a disgusting communal comment which offended the country. He was made to lie low, and then made a minister!

Of course this is not the way to foster democratic values and the democratic ethos. But a government with a clear majority is uncaring. That’s such a pity.