Election campaigns: Election campaigns in our country provide tax-free entertainment and also cause disappointment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent jibe on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is an instance in point. Congress’ indignation over the jibe is understandable. But what is incomprehensible is its overreaction and threat of not allowing the Houses of Parliament to function till Modi apologises. In the past, trenchant remarks have been made against Modi.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi once referred to Modi as maut ka saudagar and later accused him of indulging in zeher ki kheti. Not to be outdone, Rahul Gandhi recently accused the PM of doing khoon ki dalali after Indian Army’s surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Other Congress leaders and spokespersons have used words such as ‘snake’ and ‘scorpion’ to describe Modi. These statements are certainly irksome to the NDA government, but none from the ruling party has issued threats or overreacted. And rightly so.
Our politicians believe that free speech is a cardinal virtue and laws of libel do not deter them from making wild charges and accusations. In dealing with such cases, we should not lose our sense of humour because a person without a sense of humour is one without a sense of proportion. Laughter is always a good remedy.
Torture indefensible: Consider the recent outburst of senior BJP leader Uma Bharti while addressing a rally in Agra. She raised the issue of the Bulandshahr gangrape and said, “Rapists should be tortured in front of the victims until they beg for their lives”. She further provided graphic details on how they should be tortured and said, “Rapists should be hung upside down. They should be beaten till their skin comes off. Also, salt and chilly should be rubbed on their skin, especially on their wounds, till they scream and beg for forgiveness”. She proudly claimed that she had done that when she was the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh because according to her, rapists have no human rights. Obviously, she is sublimely ignorant of the UN and regional Conventions against Torture, which have unequivocally held that torture is unacceptable under any circumstance. Torture is the cruelest assault on human personality. Any country, which advocates or practices torture, has no place amongst civilised nations of the world.
Vice-President Ansari’s inaugural address: Vice President Hamid Ansari’s remarks, while delivering the inaugural address titled ‘Living in Febrile Times’ at the Huddle in Bengaluru, are noteworthy. Noting that the gap between the rich and poor shows no sign of narrowing, he stated that the situation demands impatience with business-as-usual development politics, and suggested that the time has come to move the development discourse beyond the current discussion of outcomes and opportunities. Ansari endorsed the conceptual framework outlined by Amartya Sen and others, who see human capabilities as the capacity and freedom to choose and act. He warned that “rising inequality is a contributing cause for the rise of authoritarian leaders, often with a divisive agenda fuelled by sectarianism, xenophobia and nationalism”. These wise words from our erudite and enlightened vice-president must be heeded.
Hats off to the US judiciary: US District Judge James Robart’s order to suspend President Donald Trump’s ban on immigration was upheld by a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The court unanimously ruled that Trump administration had failed to offer any evidence that national security concern justified restoring the ban immediately. Shortly after the court issued its 29-page ruling, Trump tweeted: “See you in court, the security of our nation is at stake!” He told reporters that his administration ultimately would win the case, and dismissed the ruling as ‘political’ tweeting that the decision was ‘disgraceful’. What is disgraceful is Trump’s comment about the judicial ruling. The legal fight will now reach the US Supreme Court, which will finally adjudicate on the legality of Trump administration’s ban order. The apex court is currently ideologically split, with four liberal justices and four conservatives, over pending confirmation of Trump’s conservative nominee, Neil Gorsuch. A 4-to-4 vote in the US SC would leave the appeals court’s decision in place. Let us hope for the best.
Soli J Sorabjee
Former Attorney-General of India
solisorabjee@gmail.com