Decency, decorum in politics is passé; foul-mouthing becomes order of the day

Hyderabad: A few days ago, there was a major uproar in Andhra Pradesh politics over a cuss word used by Telugu Desam Party official spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi against YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy while referring to alleged ganja cultivation and smuggling in the state.

It was a filthy and abusive word in Hindi, which literally means “son of a bitch.” Most of such foul words are used by people to abuse others, without even bothering to know their meaning. Pattabhi, being a typical Andhra leader, also might not be aware of its actual meaning but used it to attack the chief minister.

Perhaps it was the most widely searched word by the people of Andhra on Google on that day, but no politician dared to explain what it meant. But Jagan Mohan Reddy publicly referred to the word, while addressing the police commemoration day meeting and even translated it into Telugu to allege that the TDP leaders were even abusing his mother in filthy language.

Pattabhi’s abusive language triggered protests from the YSRC leaders and cadres, who went on rampage and vandalised the TDP offices across the state, besides attacking his house in Vijayawada. The police arrested Pattabhi for abusing the chief minister and after being in jail for a couple of days, he was released on bail following the high court’s intervention.

TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu called for a day’s bandh in the state and took up 36-hour fast in support of his party spokesman and even petitioned President of India Ramnath Kovind demanding imposition of President’s Rule in the state.

It was not the first time that any politician has used such an abusive language. Before and after the Pattabhi episode, the YSRC and the TDP leaders had indulged in hurling abuses in filthy language against each other.

Andhra civil supplies minister Kodali Venkateshwara Rao alias Nani is known for vitriolic diatribe against his political rivals, particularly the TDP leaders, using choicest abuses. Kakinada (urban) MLA Dwarapudi Chandrasekhar Reddy openly used the same word against Chandrababu Naidu, which Pattabhi used against Jagan, but in Telugu.

These days, there is no such thing called “unparliamentary” language in politics. In the past, when any MLA used any foul word in the state assembly, the Speaker used to remove them from the assembly records. But ever since the live telecast of the assembly proceedings was introduced, there is no sanctity to the legislature bodies and it is no-holds-barred for the public representatives to abuse their rivals in the most vulgar language.

And Telangana is no exception.

Though we have not so far heard of the political leaders using such cuss words against the rivals here, they have certainly been hurling abuses against one another in typical Telangana slang and using threatening and intimidating language.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is known for using harsh language against the rival party politicians. During the movement for separate Telangana, he used to attack the Andhra rulers and even the people of Andhra in abusive language, but he could get away with it because he was playing to the gallery in the heat of the movement. In fact, he used to receive huge applause from the crowds for using such language against Andhra rulers.

Now, he is the chief minister of a state and one would expect decency and decorum from him while speaking in public. But he continues to use the same abusive language against his critics. “Sannasi” (silly monk), “daddamma” (idiot) and “chavata” (stupid) – are some of the words he regularly uses against the Congress and the BJP leaders.
At the consecutive press conferences he had held at his camp office Pragati Bhavan on Sunday and Monday, KCR freely hurled such abuses against state BJP president Bandi Sanjay and other leaders.

He also used threatening language against Sanjay saying he would rip off the BJP leader’s tongue out and break his neck for making baseless allegation against the government. “He says he will get me arrested and send to jail. Can you dare touch me? You will see what is going to happen,” KCR warned.

The chief minister even compared the BJP leaders with barking dogs. “I have been maintaining restraint all these days when they were criticising me, thinking that dogs would bark when elephants pass by. But we won’t tolerate anymore. I will hound them away on streets,” he said.

Referring to Sanjay’s comments that the BJP cadre would plough KCR’s farmhouse at Erravelli with 100 ploughs, the chief minister shot back: “It is my personal property, not your baap ka jaagir. Come to my farm house, you will be cut into six pieces,” the chief minister challenged.

The BJP leaders are also not left behind KCR in hurling abuses. Sanjay called KCR a Desh Drohi (anti national) and a chillar (cheap) chief minister, who has done masters in vulgar language. “He is an out and out liar and the most inefficient chief minister,” he said.

Another BJP leader and Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind also used more pungent language against KCR, calling the latter Batte Baaj and Badmash.

Unfortunately, the media, too, has lost its sensitivity while reporting the speeches of such leaders. While electronic media has been telecasting the press conferences live, where these leaders are using foul language, the print media, too, is publishing their abuses verbatim.

What message are these leaders sending to the people with their uncultured language?