Political discourse takes a hit in Himachal as leaders engage in personal attacks

The Himachal polity, once known for upholding democratic values and constitutional decorum in political discourse, is witnessing a sharp decline as leaders are engaging in rancorous personal attacks.

The manner in which Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur and Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi have been passing acrimonious personal remarks against each other, the fine line between political rivalry and personal enmity is getting blurred. What is even worse is that the spiteful exchanges between the two leaders, though not a recent development, is threatening to spill over to their supporters.

The manner in which some people in the Thunag area of the Seraj Assembly constituency in Mandi district flung shoes at Negi’s official vehicle, while he was on a visit to the disaster-hit areas to review relief the rescue operations, has raised serious questions over political propriety. The outrage, a possible result of Negi’s remarks that it is when the rain disaster hit Seraj that Jai Ram Thakur understood how the shoe pinches on one’s own foot, had led to a debate on crossing the line of constitutional decorum.

The disturbing public behaviour is being viewed as an unfortunate trend in sharp contrast to the poise and decorum displayed by most senior leaders in Himachal, whether it was first Chief Minister YS Parmar or later Chief Ministers Shanta Kumar, Virbhadra Singh and PK Dhumal, even at the peak of their political animosity. Even when the Vigilance Bureau had registered six cases against Anurag Thakur, the then Hamirpur MP and son of Dhumal, in connection with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, the leaders never hit each other below the belt.

Thakur and Negi had engaged in heated arguments and distasteful personal attacks even on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha during most of the sessions. Both leaders make no bones about their dislike for each other, while commenting on each other’s capricious nature. Thakur, who is otherwise known to be a calm person, loses his cool whenever Negi passes comments on him.

The unpleasant exchanges between the two leaders are being replicated by their supporters. While BJP supporters took on Negi by obstructing his vehicle and flinging shoes at it, the Revenue Minister’s supporters in Kinnaur retaliated by burning Thakur’s effigy. The disagreement between the two leaders has now escalated into personal attacks, an unfortunate trend that can spread.

“Personalising political conflicts can result in undermining of democratic values, respect for dissent and the ability to engage in a constructive dialogue,” says a BJP MLA on the declining standards of political discourse. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, ministers and Congress leaders have condemned the unruly behaviour of the public in Seraj and accused BJP leaders of ‘sponsoring’ it. However, the larger concern is that it does not augur well for the political ambience of the otherwise calm state of Himachal.

BJP leaders have criticised the registration of FIRs against 60 persons for obstructing Negi in Thunag. They are terming the registration of the FIRs as ‘political vendetta’. Negi, on the other hand, has retorted by stating that FIRs were registered against five Congress MLAs when the BJP was in power for raising slogans and obstructing the vehicle of the Governor when he was returning after addressing the Budget session on February 26, 2022.

However, the larger point is that it’s easy to get caught in the frenzy of political accusations but in a democracy, one should maintain decorum and dignity even while referring to political opponents.