Why Politicisation of Public Grievances Is Not the Bad Thing It Is Made Out to Be – The Wire

These days it has become a common invective to denounce particular popular actions as political or politicised in order to delegitimise them. This is a tactic that has traditionally been employed by all ruling parties in Indias political history, but has become an especially handy tool for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its supporters within the media and public.

The allegation of politically motivated currently being hurled at the farmers protests fomenting around Delhi as well as other parts of the country is the most recent example of the same. This is just the latest use of the bogey in the last 12 months.

It has previously been used to, among other things, attack the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters, the raising of concerns about stranded migrant labourers being charged for being ferried by the railways to their homes during the lockdown, the opposition to the conduct of NEET and JEE exams amidst the pandemic, the questioning of the Union governments response to border incursions by China, and the protests against the shocking ill-treatment of the gang-rape victims family in Uttar Pradeshs Hathras.

The question that begs to be asked is: what is this politicisation, and is it indeed a bad thing?

Politics is serious matter

Politics is not just the domain of political parties contesting and competing with each other in elections. Understood holistically, the term refers to all the activities associated with the governance of a country, especially (but not limited to) the contestation of power among political parties, as well as deciding how that power to govern is wielded. It is reductive to treat politics simply as a horse race, a pro-wrestling match, a who will be the next PM/CM reality show, or BJP versus INC/AAP/TMC.

Politics affects all of our lives, especially those of our fellow citizens who rely on the State for their material needs. This is why if something significantly affects the lives of citizens and is either ignored or not sufficiently dealt with by the State, it must be politicised.

This need for politicisation through participation in the political process is sanctioned by the Constitution of India, not only through the right to participate in elections through voting in and contesting them, but also through the fundamental right to assemble peaceably and without arms, to form associations and unions, and to move freely throughout the territory of India.

Also read: Success of Farmers Protest Renews Hope in the Politics of Mass Mobilisation

This is why anyone can form a political party; indeed, we have thousands of political parties across the country. It wouldnt be incorrect to hold that our constitutional and legal framework provides every citizen with the freedom to hold political thoughts, and to participate in political activities.

It is, therefore, quite puzzling, then, that political parties are derided for doing politics or politicising public concerns and issues. Is that not their raison detre? Every single party is guilty of it, especially during election campaigns, so why does it become a pejorative only when someone opposes the governments narrative and raises uncomfortable questions?

People, including members of opposition parties, gather in central Delhi for a protest against the governments decision to withdraw Rs 500 and Rs 1000 banknotes from circulation, November 28, 2016. Credit: Reuters/Cathal McNaughton

Good politics versus bad politics

A distinction must be drawn, then, between good politics and bad politics. As outlined by professor Sadanand Shahi in an editorial in Hindustan, bad politics is of the kind that attempts to disengage the citizenry from politics by making them apolitical. This is precisely because an apolitical citizenry can easily be convinced that politics is sleazy territory to be stayed away from.

Such citizens get conditioned not to expect or demand better governance from their political representatives or the State that improve their lives, and can consequently be swayed by narrow identitarian or parochial concerns that invoke passion but ultimately have no impact on their material living conditions.

Such bad politics is evident, for instance, in the politicisation of the gotra or religion of a prominent politician, the unfortunate suicide of a Bollywood actor, and the rabble rousing over marriages between Muslim men and Hindu women.

Conversely, good politics is the kind that articulates legitimate public grievances, and policy issues that have a bearing on the public good.

This is why every government decision that impacts lives detrimentally must be contested, and Opposition parties must challenge those decisions in the political domain. After all, that is how government policy improves in the first place, through the exertion of popular pressure.

Even seen from the prism of cold electoral logic, it makes sense for Opposition political parties to politicise citizens unrest and differences with the government: Different political parties are supposed to represent distinct and diverse ideologies and political stances, and Opposition parties must organise and canvas support for positions on which they diverge with the government in order to set themselves apart and hope to win votes at the next election.

After all, if every Opposition party goes along with the governments narrative and doesnt stand with citizens when they voice differences with the governments policies, then why would citizens vote for them?

In fact, if the Opposition can be faulted for something, it is that they dont politicise enough matters of government failures crushing citizens lives, be it, for instance, the unchecked police brutality against citizens, the non-payment of salaries for several months to teachers and doctors, the resistance towards ASHA workers demand to be paid at least a minimum wage, the unemployment crisis that has enveloped the country for the last few years but has especially exacerbated due to the twin blow of the pandemic and the national lockdown, the central governments failed response to the pandemic which has caused untold avoidable deaths and heaped misery on so many more people, and the education deficit being faced by students who cannot go to schools and are outside the limited privileged circle of those who can afford schooling via smart tech devices.

Also read: Why Todays India Needs a Resurrected Swatantra Party

These are issues that affect voters lives, and will find more resonance with public as opposed to petty bickering over a politician being asked to leave government accommodation that she doesnt even need, or shameful resort politics of the sort we have seen in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan since the pandemic took root in India.

After all, in a democracy, politicians work for us, and have an obligation to explain themselves and answer our questions. Whats wrong with an Opposition party member or, indeed, a citizen, posing those questions and asking for information? Pointing out flaws in the policies of the government of the day and providing an alternative narrative is exactly the Oppositions job!

Opposition parties protest against the handcuffing of farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Photo: Twitter/@JaiTDP

The public good must be politicised

Calls to not politicise issues are meant to divert attention from peoples legitimate demands, and reduce the governments accountability. If the Opposition is attempted to be shut out or dismissed under the canard of politicisation, be it in the parliament, in TV news channel studios or on the streets, then we are only left with the governments narrative. In a parliamentary democracy like ours, however, every party, and, by extension, every persons voice counts, not just the ruling partys. The weakening of the Opposition, therefore, by equating genuine dissent and questioning with narrow political attacks, weakens democracy.

Politicisation of trivial matters must be called out and criticised. Politicisation of peoples grievances, on the other hand, must not only be encouraged, but also expected from opposition parties, in a healthy democracy.

Vineet Bhalla is a Delhi-based lawyer.

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Why Politicisation of Public Grievances Is Not the Bad Thing It Is Made Out to Be - The Wire