Bilal Bashir Bhat
The beauty of politics is that there are different ideologies, but respecting each other’s political ideologies is the hallmark of a strong democratic society. The case of BJP workers shouting obscene slogans against women in Anantnag, Kashmir is very important in this context. While the BJP’s suspension of the workers involved is a commendable step, the real question is much bigger: Who should have the power to formulate political slogans?
A political slogan is a mirror of society, Political parties should seek the services of writers, intellectuals, writers, thinkers, political experts and language and communication experts to formulate slogans, so that their slogans reflect the ideology, cultural consciousness, moral standards and social behavior. Therefore, this task should not be entrusted to mere emotional activists or individuals who cross the boundaries of words in political fervor.
Unfortunately, in our political environment, slogans are sometimes used to belittle opponents, which not only contain unparliamentary language but also incite hatred and division in society. Especially, any kind of derogatory language against women should be unacceptable, regardless of whether it is used by people affiliated with any political party or ideology. Turning political disagreement into personal ridicule, character assassination or gender insults weakens democratic politics.
It is also necessary to understand that the workers of political parties are the face of a party. Their tone and style of speech present a picture of the political mood of the entire party to the public. Therefore, the responsibility of the leadership is not only to achieve electoral success but also to train its workers in political, moral and communication skills. If any worker crosses the line, action must be taken, which in this case BJP did.
It should reflect the dreams, priorities, political consciousness and moral level of the society. This mirror should not be tarnished by false propaganda, hatred, personal attacks and unparliamentary language. If political parties really want to gain public trust, they will have to raise the level of slogans and the quality of political discourse.
Now is the time for political parties to entrust the responsibility of political communication to competent, conscious and responsible individuals instead of relying solely on crowds and enthusiastic voices.
Slogans should be created that unite the people instead of dividing them, tell the truth instead of false propaganda and highlight the virtues of their ideology instead of humiliating their opponents. This is the hallmark of civilized politics and the foundation of a strong democracy.
