In modern democracy, politics has evolved into making “deals” – give some, take some, without shame.
“Thick-skinned politics,” “shamelessness,” and “political correctness” are just other names for politics without principles. In India, “politics with morality” died with M.K. Gandhi, though nothing can be said with certainty whether it existed while he was alive. He said that politics without principles was one of the seven deadly social sins.
Self-proclaimed inheritor of his ideology, Rahul Gandhi, through his theatrics, mocks the dead man day in and day out. Incidentally, Rahul Gandhi is the leader of the opposition parties in the present 18th Lok Sabha. He thinks, as LOP, he has no responsibility but the immunity, so he can spin any lie, hurl any abuse, and blame anything on the country’s prime minister.
In contrast, the right-winger, staunch opposition leader in France, stood firm with his elected president, Emmanuel Macron, when the 47th president of the US, Donald Trump, took a personal jibe at Macron in the wake of the US-Israel war on Iran. Truly worthy leaders don’t make such drama; cheap politicians do.
In Israel, the current leader of the Opposition, Yair Lapid. publicly stated his support for PM Netanyahu‘s decision to conduct military strikes against Iran, describing the campaign as a “just war against evil.” Lapid is a fierce political critic who previously formed a coalition to oust Netanyahu in 2021 but pledged to put aside political differences during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Morality in politics, are you joking? Indian National Congress leader and former Indian Prime Minister, late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, in June 1975, defaced and defiled the constitution by imposing the Emergency. She prioritized seeking power and personal success over morality, regardless of the consequences for future generations and the health of the country’s democracy. This, along with her other actions, left behind a wrecked political landscape and a permanent scar on the country’s democracy.
And Rahul Gandhi is continuing that tradition, often mocking the ruling third-term Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his own party men with impunity. Neither the parties concerned, the courts, nor even his own conscience can limit his outlandish public statements on governance, natural disasters, and national security. Weak politicians engage in such poisonous tirades while deflecting attention from their own failures.
There may be people who base their actions on their anger or a deeply personal belief. In pursuit of their immediate personal objective, such people feel no remorse for harming society as a whole. No society can survive if it yields to the demands of frenzy, whether of the few or the many. Today, some politicians unworthy of becoming world leaders are making such frenetic calls to the masses, who must particularly remain on guard.
Particularly in times of crisis, responsible politicians should exercise restraint in pursuing personal ambitions and rally the masses behind the national leader to uphold the unity and dignity of the national flag. They should not indulge in actions that damage the nation’s reputation and property. In such tough times, opposition should cooperate to sail through the ocean of crisis.
Politicians who pursue power through immoral means encourage active violence leading to chaos, corruption, bribery, favoritism, weaken institutions, and the destruction of civil liberties. This approach focuses on creating a superficial image to gain votes by any means, rather than adhering to principles. Separating political actions from moral responsibility ultimately causes permanent harm to society.
Donald Trump’s joint adventure with Israel, “Operation Epic Fury” in Iran, has clearly revealed how the king and his cronies were minting billions from the stock and commodities market. Reports show members of Congress, for whom stock trading is not a full-time business, outperforming the market and market legends, professional fund managers. Of course, this can’t be achieved without the possibility of insider information advantage. One day, the president tweets something, the next day he tweets the opposite, or his posts on Truth Social are denied by Iranian officials. But in the process, the stock market moves mountains, and insiders make mountains of cash. Though legally, but unethically, without any shame.
