Shashi Tharoor urges political leaders to maintain high standards of discourse following controversy over Mallikarjun Kharge's comments regarding voters in Gujarat.
NEW DELHI: Shashi Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has forcefully stated that political standards must not be lowered following a heated exchange triggered by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's recent comments. This statement comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has latched onto Kharge's observation that voters in Gujarat are illiterate and easily misled compared to the "educated and clever" people of Kerala. Tharoor, speaking on Tuesday, emphasized the need to respect the public by providing good reasons to vote rather than resorting to language that coarsens the public debate.
The controversy began on Sunday when Kharge, addressing a rally in Idukki, Kerala, drew a sharp distinction between the electorates of Kerala and Gujarat. He stated that while Modi and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could fool those who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, they could not misguide the people of Kerala. This remark immediately sparked a robust backlash from the BJP, which strongly rebuked the Congress chief. The opposition party argued that Kharge's comments amounted to a direct insult to the six crore people of Gujarat and disregarded the state's historical legacy.
In a sharp social media post on X, Gujarat deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi questioned the Congress's stance on the state. He asked, "Why does Congress hate Gujarat so much? Why do you keep targeting the people of Gujarat time and again?" Sanghavi highlighted that Gujarat is the land that gave the country Mahatma Gandhi, the Iron Man Sardar Patel, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He further noted that the land showed a new model of development to the entire world. Sanghavi argued that insulting such a legacy reveals the true stature of the party leader and suggested that the statement was not born of frustration but of a deeper animosity. He added that the Congress, which insults the sacred land of Gandhi and Patel, has always been rejected by Gujarat's aware public and will continue to be rejected.
Responding to the escalating tension, Shashi Tharoor addressed the media on Tuesday, reflecting on the broader decline in political discourse. He noted that he has deplored in the past the decline in political discourse, citing instances where cases have even been filed against the Assam chief minister for hate speech. Tharoor stressed that the direction of politics should not be towards using bad language. He explicitly stated, "That should not be the direction of our politics. And I must say our standards should not be lowered to that of those who use bad language in politics." He expressed hope that all political leaders would respect the public by giving them good reasons to vote in their favor and against others, rather than using language that frankly coarsens the public debate.
The timing of this controversy coincides with a critical phase in the Kerala political calendar. The CPM-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF are set to lock horns for the 140-seat Kerala Assembly polls. The election process is scheduled to begin on April 9, with the results expected on May 4. The high stakes of the upcoming election have amplified the impact of the remarks made by both leaders. The BJP's aggressive response indicates that the narrative of the "Gujarat insult" will remain a central point of contention, potentially influencing voter sentiments in the region.
The immediate aftermath of Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks has solidified the BJP's narrative that the Congress party harbors a deep-seated animosity toward Gujarat. The party's leader, Harsh Sanghavi, framed the Gujarat insult as a personal affront to the state's contributions to the nation, questioning the motivations behind such statements. This rhetorical battle underscores the intensity of the political rivalry, especially as the state gears up for the 140-seat assembly elections. The BJP's assertion that the Congress has always been rejected by Gujarat's aware public serves as a warning to the opposition party as they campaign in Kerala. With the election scheduled for April 9 and results due on May 4, the political discourse is expected to remain heated, with the Congress facing challenges to defend its leader's words while the BJP continues to leverage the controversy to mobilize its base and criticize the opposition's rhetoric.
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