Indian politicians suffering from foot-in-mouth syndrome?

Satrajit Moitra

New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) The political class in India
has never had it so bad with unprecedented public anger over
Mumbai terror attacks, and they have made it worse for
themselves with "foot-in-the-mouth" syndrome.

From lipstick to cur, politicians have come in for
sharp criticism for their shooting-from-the-lip with eminent
personalities saying time has come for them to think before
opening their mouth.

Be it Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan's "dog"
remark or former Maharashtra Deputy CM RR Patil's "filmi-syle"
statement or BJP Vice-President MA Naqvi's "lipstick" reaction
and their respective parties taking exception to them -- these
kneejerk comments are now being subjected to public scrutiny.

Says India's first woman IPS officer-turned-social
activist Kiran Bedi: "The politicians have long been suffering
from the foot-in-the-mouth syndrome. But, thanks to media now,
they and their diseases are getting exposed. We need change in
the country."

Concurs historian Ramachandra Guha. He says that the
anger of people after the Mumbai mayhem "was aggravated by the
cavalier behaviour of the politicians".

Rajya Sabha (upper House of Indian Parliament)MP
Chandan Mitra disagrees. "In no way, we can generalise the
politicians who make comments from time to time which are not
in good taste. Politicians as a class are not suffering from
the foot-in-mouth disease.

"Each of the comments has to be seen as a specific
case. The only exception is Kerala CM's 'dog' remark about a
martyred Army Major -- that statement is despicable. However,
other comments don't fall in that category."

Achuthanandan had ignited a controversy after being
"snubbed" by the angry father of National Security Guards
(NSG) officer Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan who was brutally
killed by terrorists in Mumbai, when he went to Bangalore to
offer his condolences, by saying, "If it had not been
Sandeep's house, not even a dog would have glanced that way."

However, noted social scientist Shabnam Hashmi
disagrees with Mitra.

"A majority of politicians suffer from some sort of
disease. You take BJP leader Naqvi's audacious statement on
'women wearing lipstick and powder' and protesting against the
politicians in the wake of the Mumbai carnage. These comments
reflect one's feudal mindset.

"Likewise, Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi's
announcement of compensation for the slain policemen -- Anti-
Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare, Additional Commissioner
Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar -- who
died fighting the terrorists in Mumbai -- is also condemnable.

"It's evident Modi did it for political gains. But the
bereaved wife of brave heart officer Karkare showed the nation
what the politicians actually deserve by refusing the largesse
from the Chief Minister," she exclaims.

Congress MP Adhir Choudhury fully agrees: "Some of our
fellow politicians are suffering from the foot-in-the-mouth
syndrome, no doubt. It's due to the deterioration of political
ethics in this country. It's unfortunate and I feel ashamed.

"We are people's representatives. But, people hardly
respect us nowadays due to the irresponsible and immature
comments made by some flashy politicians.

"The father of the slain Major showed the nation what
politicians deserve by shooing the Kerala Chief Minister out
of his home. That was the perfect treatment which needs to be
meted out by the civilian society to what is now seen as a
despicable species of Indian population called politicians."

Mitra interrupts. "No I don't agree to the bracketing
of all politicians as despicable people. In case of Naqvi what
he was really wanted to convey was a sudden excitement among
Mumbai's chattering classes."

But, Choudhury feels that whether it's his party MP or
whosoever it be, any politician who indulges in irresponsible
remarks should not be "punished".

"See both Shivraj Patil and RR Patil had to finally
resign -- one for his sartorial fetish while the other for
saying 'bade bade saheer mein chota chota blasts hota hai'
respectively after the Mumbai terror attacks."

Sums up Kolkata-based psychologist Dr SK Dasgupta:
"People's anger against politicians is more due to fear coming
from a sense of insecurity." PTI MOT
SAK
NNNN