Inside the Capital

Two events in the in the national capital this week proved there is life beyond the bitter world of politics as played out most aggressively in the chambers of the Indian Parliament.

The first unfolded Wednesday when Maratha strongman and former union minister Sharad Pawar hosted a pre-birthday dinner for political and business leaders at his 6, Janpath residence in Lutyens Delhi. Pawar turned 85 on December 12.

Fierce political rivals bonded at Pawar’s party like they were friends. So Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi exchanged thoughts with BJP’s Nishikant Dubey, the Godda MP, known as the shrillest anti-Gandhi voice in Lok Sabha. Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too greeted Dubey as foes set aside differences to practice the dying art of political courtesy.

Pawar’s birthday bash saw politicians across parties come together in the spirit of camaraderie and mutual respect – virtues seldom on display otherwise. Guests included the Gandhi siblings, Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy and Pawan Khera from the Congress; Sharad Pawar’s estranged nephew Ajit Pawar; BJP leaders D Purandeshwari, Nishikant Dubey, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Nalin Kohli and former minister Shahnawaz Hussain and TMC’s Saugata Roy among others. Even Gautam Adani, who has been at the centre of Congress' crony capitalism offensive, was present.

Emerging from the party Nalin Kohli said the gathering reflected the cultural practice of wishing senior public figures health and longevity and was above and beyond political dimensions. Pawan Khera, Congress media chief, famous for his sharp offensives against the BJP agreed and said social ties transcended politics.

The sentiment that surfaced at Pawar’s party earlier resonated at BJP MP Navin Jindal’s daughter’s wedding. The Delhi show saw parliamentarians rising above politics to shake a leg together. Happy, smiling images capturing Kangana Ranaut and Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP), Mahua Moitra (TMC), Supriya Sule (NCP SP), Navin Jindal himself in a group dance act went viral. So much so that social media armies nurtured by IT wings of political parties were left fuming and asking if political rivalries seen in Parliament and elsewhere were only for the cameras and the constituents.

Whatever the answer, one outcome was certain. Both events brought centre stage the long disregarded trend of waning civility in public life and the need to restore it. In a politics riven by divisions, animosities and hateful utterances on all sides, Sharad Pawar's and Navin Jindal’s get togethers came like a whiff of fresh air.

“It was after long that we saw foes act like friends proving what we already know -- politics may be a blood sport but players don’t always need to shed blood to score a point,” a senior MP said.

In Parliament too, Pawar and Jindal’s parties dominated discussions across corridors as old timers reminisced the bygone era when politicians were mature enough not to take differences for disputes.

Many examples of political courtesies and cross-party bonhomie abound – in 1994, then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao tasked leader of opposition Atal Bihari Vajpayee to present the Indian position at the UN on Kashmir. In 1988, then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi is known to have included Vajpayee in an official Indian delegation to the UN so that the opposition leader could get his kidney ailment treated. Late Congress veteran Jaipal Reddy as minister would often agree with the opposition when he was part of a parliamentary forum to discuss Intellectual Property Rights in the 1990s. Reddy would disregard the government line to side with rivals. Most recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hand-picked opposition stalwarts including Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor to articulate Indian position to the world after Operation Sindoor.

That said, political discourse has progressively declined with rivals refusing to even share tea or break bread together. Rahul Gandhi and opposition bigwigs decision to skip Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s customary tea on the last day of the Monsoon Session had made headlines. The opposition’s decision was rooted in an urge to avoid the company of PM Modi, Amit Shah, Kiren Rijiju and other ministers.

Coming after the not-so-savoury recent exchanges in the winter session of parliament, latest images from Pawar's and Jindal's parties capturing the “foes-turn-friends” moments inspire hope.

As former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar puts it: "The disappearance of refinement from political discourse is a bane of Indian democracy. There is a dire need to restore dignity of dialogue."