Ideal leaders

Do we not hold our leaders to higher ideals? Perhaps not anymore in India. Youth icons, politicians, sportspersons, for that matter anyone with a public image would earlier be compelled to preserve an ethical persona. In knowledge, rhetoric, and practice — public personalities would have to exhibit, in theory and in action, an adherence to principles and morals (at least appear to). That forced commitment to scruples has unfortunately been thrown out of the door. Of course, no one is a paragon of virtue but at least in the public realm certain behaviours are unacceptable from personalities, especially our political leaders.

Last week’s hate speech spewed by BJP Ramesh Bidhuri targeting BSP MP Danish Ali was historic in its own right. Never before would the august house have witnessed blatant Islamophobia and usage of crude parlance so publicly between Lok Sabha colleagues. To even listen to those abusive words makes one cringe in discomfort; to have it coming from an elected representative hailing from post south Delhi leaves me, once a south Delhi resident, both astonished and embarrassed.

Politicians are also human and they will err. But this degree of deviation from standards, irrespective of party politics, is unacceptable. Can we ever imagine Atal Bihari Vajpayee or LK Advani resorting to such unparliamentary language? There was a time when oratory skills in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and state legislative assemblies were lauded. Today, they are a rare sight. Neither do most leaders speak well nor do their speeches possess insightful details. Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi was caught with his pants down in 2012 over an alleged sex tape. He resigned as party spokesperson and as head of the parliamentary standing committee on law and justice. At least, let them adhere to decency. Is that too much to ask?

Let’s also take stock of recent instances of unbecoming behaviour by sitting MPs that has been allowed and sometimes even rewarded. Bidhuri has been made election-in-charge of poll-bound Rajasthan’s Tonk district with a sizeable Muslim population. Well-known women wrestlers alleged sexual harassment at the hands of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. A few years ago, a sitting junior minister and former media editor, MJ Akbar, was forced to resign when 30+ senior women journalists alleged various instances of sexual harassment spanning over two decades. However, he, like Brij Bhushan, continues to remain an MP. One can’t help but wonder what the Ethics Committee is up to?

Did you know that there is an actual Ethics Committee that can look into the misdeeds of our elected leaders? The Ethics Committee of the Rajya Sabha was constituted on March 4, 1997 and was inaugurated by the then Vice-President of India and the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, KR Narayanan, on 30 May 1997. The first Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha came into effect, after much delay, on 16 May, 2000. Its first report was presented to the lower house on 22 November, 2001 and adopted on 16 May, 2002. The Ethics Committee can weigh in on any instance of misconduct by members of either house. While we have seen the Privileges Committee recently in action (4 Opposition MPs were suspended during the Monsoon Session), the Ethics Committee seems all but defunct. Why isn’t the committee used to weed out the filth from the system and force the leaders to set elevated standards for themselves? Or have we given up on having leaders with integrity?

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal