“Like civility truthfulness is also fast becoming a casualty of the ongoing election campaign both in Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of the country”.
Leaders of political parties are undoubtedly expected to show civility during electioneering be it the time of elections to Lok Sabha, State/UT assemblies or local bodies but unfortunately star campaigners of political parties talk of democracy and dignity without showing any respect for the civility they are supposed to maintain in their electrifying speeches at the election rallies. Political acrimonies and animosities are undoubtedly part of election campaigns in any part of the world and same holds goods for leaders of political parties in Jammu & Kashmir like their contemporaries in rest of the country but trends to change political rivalries into personal animosities seen more rampant in Jammu & Kashmir than any other part of the country go against the basic spirits of both democracy and dignity. Never forget that civility brings dignity to democracy but low civility witnessed more rampantly in Jammu & Kashmir than any other part of the country is an insult to the institutions of democracy for which elections are held after every five years. In fact civility shown during electioneering by leaders of rival political parties consolidates democracy in any part of the world and same holds good for Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of the country. Like civility truthfulness is also fast becoming a casualty of the ongoing election campaign both in Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of the country. Preaching truthfulness is undoubtedly good for the health of democracy but while preaching truthfulness the attempts to break promises in post election periods is an insult to the mandate people give to political parties for dignity of democratic institutions, development of public infrastructure and facilities and delivery of public services.
“Civility if shown by leaders of political parties during electioneering in the remaining four phases of Lok Sabha elections would give more strength to the functioning and social life of the democracy equally in Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of the country. This is one of strongest approaches to undo the uncivil tendencies growing fast equally in Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of the country more during election periods and less in normal circumstances. After all civility in politics could become a cause for transforming the society at large equally in Jammu & Kashmir and rest of the country.”
While justice and minimal equality are the other key benchmarks of democracy, the slogans of exclusions fueling the apprehensions of discrimination don’t serve the causes of equality in any part of the country including Jammu & Kashmir. Political morality demands that leaders of political parties give up the exclusionary politics and propagate inclusiveness during electioneering in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections equally in Jammu & Kashmir and rest of the country. Civility if shown by leaders of political parties during electioneering in the remaining four phases of Lok Sabha elections would give more strength to the functioning and social life of the democracy equally in Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of the country. This is one of strongest approaches to undo the uncivil tendencies growing fast equally in Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of the country more during election periods and less in normal circumstances. After all civility in politics could become a cause for transforming the society at large equally in Jammu & Kashmir and rest of the country.
