Friday, August 22, 2014

Hooting is unacceptable

The hooting of the Chief Minister of Jharkhand Heman Soren by BJP workers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a government function to inaugurate power related projects is the third in line after the same treatment meted out to Congress Chief Minister Prithvi Raj Chavan and Bhupendra Singh Hooda of Maharashtra and Haryana respectively. It is the beginning of worst kind of treatment to political opponents. It is in no way permissible to hoot out opposition leaders by the ruling party workers in presence of none other than Prime Minister.All the three Chief Ministers represent the opposition space. They are Chief Ministers of three poll bound states who were hooted and jeered by BJP workers in the same fashion. They were hooted to show how unpopular they are in their own states. So, hooting has been committed under a deliberate political game plan by BJP. Hemant Soren was hooted the moment he stood to deliver his speech at the dais in the presence of PM Modi. He continued his speech amidst hooting, but expressed his displeasure publicly by terming the behaviour of the BJP workers as an attack on the federal structure. This type of hooting of opposition leaders by BJP workers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who happens to be the top leader, clearly reflects his contradictory stance. At one time PM Modi advocates for co-operative federalism and opposition leaders are hooted in his presence at the other. It may be the style of functioning of the Prime Minister Modi to belittle the opposition leaders or political rivals within his own party in public presence. As PM Modi tours only the poll bound states of Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Jharkhand, it may be his political intention to show the opposition Chief Ministers in bad light before the public at the functions organized by the government. Congress Party Chief Ministers have decided to boycott Prime Minister Modi’s meeting. Maharashtra CM did not turn up at PM Modi’s meeting in Nagpur for the inauguration of Metro rail project. Though it is not appreciable, the discourteous behavior with opposition leaders the ruling BJP workers is also a dangerous trend for the future of democracy in India. After the first incident of this nature at a government function in Maharashtra the Chief Minister of the state was hooted in the Presence of Prime Minister Modi, he should have issued a clear instruction that this type of behaviour by party workers will not be tolerated at any cost. The way crowd mostly comprising BJP workers behaved with the opposition Chief Minister in the presence of the Prime Minister Modi can not be appreciated. This is democracy. People are sovereign. This time they voted for BJP, next time they may give their votes to some other parties to power. If their workers and cadres behaved in the same way with BJP leaders, what would the do? So, BJP must take stringent action against those party workers who hoot out the opposition leaders at the functions organized by the government in PM’s presence. Uncivil political behavior must stop.