Delhi BJP SpokespersonTajinder Pal Singh Bagga in a few controversial tweets has responded to Rahul Gandhi’s recent statement on 1984 riot by calling the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi as “the father of mob lynching”.

This has invited sharp reactions from the leaders of Congress, even though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has distanced itself from such type of statements. BJP, however, has taken no action against Bagga, who also says that this is his personal opinion.

However, the question here comes that how come a party’s spokesperson goes on to stick posters on the walls of Delhi with derogatory remarks on a former PM, and the ruling BJP has nothing in response.

Mr. Bagga also has strong opinion on former prime minister Indira Gandhi by calling her “Mother of Terrorism in Punjab”. This shows that he has got full pass to empty his mortar on the Congress party and the Gandhi family in general.

Bagga’s series of tweets are in response to Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s recent statement in UK where in his interaction with Parliamentarians and local leaders, he said that Congress party was not involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot, and it was a ‘tragedy’ and a ‘painful experience’.

Bagga in his tweet said that he wanted to give a history lessons to Rahul Gandhi. If that is the case – this is going to set another wrong precedence in Indian politics, which has now become a platform for constant mudslinging by different political leaders.

None of the political party is trying to getinto any decent debate on several key issues that we as a country must focus on. Ruling BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading from the front, while the party was supposed take advantage of the huge mandate it received in 2014 elections and work solely towards the development.

With such imprudent talks from the leaders and spokesperson of a party, the political discourse is only going to be murkier. While it is true that 2019 is going to be a hard task for BJP to retain its large mandate, any attempt to dent the image of two former prime ministers will not do justice to our political system.

One thing we must remember that if one can call Rajiv Gandhi the father of mob lynching for the 1984 Sikh riot, in the long run anyone can name Narendra Modi with the same lame logic for the 2002 Gujarat riots – even though there has been no proof.

Moreover, there is some dignity attached to the prime minister’s chair, which neither the PMs nor any political leaders should try to undermine. In a democracy, let the people put a seal of approval on any government and if BJP must come to power – there is no need of any form of smear campaigning.

Meanwhile, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga in another tweet has requested the Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to rename Rajiv Gandhi Khel RatnaAward to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. We will see if the government pays heed to this wise man’s wish.

--Deepak Mohanty