A lot has changed since that speech. 2025 and earlier years, the fact is reminiscent of the fact that the BJP does not take politely. It is now seen as a criminal offense.
What happened to Pawan Kirra, who was arrested after flying in 2023, how can it be described? The main spokesperson of the Congress party, who later got bail, was taken into custody after mashing two names and PM was referred to as “Narendra Gautamdas Modi”.
His alleged sin was that he called “Gautamdas” instead of Damodardas, while criticizing the PM’s refusal to set up a joint parliamentary panel for the investigation of the trade magnet Gautam Adani. Khera apologized for saying “Gautamdas”, but the questions are big. Can there be no interaction of words? What is wrong with some intelligence and humor? Why can you expand your dictionary to add words like satire, parody and jib?
Are you not struggling to smile? If you consider me wrong, then this question is for those who read this piece and not for the nets I am addressing. I’m sure you can smile. Can you further it as an email? Do so at your own risk. Just remember that the West Bengal module is already in a public domain.
The law would probably provide relief, such as it was done for Jadavpur professor and Khera, but it is an executive that needs to be lightened. There was a time when the stallwarts targeted each other; When Jibes – even individual – were not a frightening of again.
Rewind your memories and rejog, dear netus. Jawaharlal Nehru did not dial to the police when he was called “Bald” by Ram Manohar Lohia. Rajiv Gandhi, similarly, did not commit crime when a Telegu Desmas MP P Upendra mentioned several of his foreign visits, saying, “I would like to welcome the Prime Minister on one of the rare trips to New Delhi.” Then, everyone laughed. They used their facial muscles, and they used them well.
Lohia and Upendra spoke tongue-in-in-gala. Without fear of being reported, both asked to serve the Prime Ministers, you, mind, mind, pay attention to you; Or police stations and court rooms are being dragged. Political matches, with humor, had an internal part of politics. Levity was never seen as a crime. Manmohan Singh, referred to by Modi as ‘silence’ Singh, responded with citizenship when he said that history would judge him more politely. Did this.
Joshi, a former BJP minister, used to call Sudhir Telng, who had passed in 2016. Joshi, according to Tailung – who often used to narrate their experiences – wanted to know why they were not done in more than six months. “Have I become so irrelevant in politics?” The former minister clearly asked.
This is the approach with which comedy needs to be embraced. To borrow from the popular branding of writer and journalist Khushwant Singh’s column, intelligence – even if derivative – means “with maliciousness for one and all.”
Postscript: Do not come in search of me after reading this column. We, the media, was referred to by former minister and former Army Chief, General VK Singh as ‘PosTuts’. The only implementation arrived for us, when we were called by ‘Sajjan Cadet’ in this way, who came out of the Indian Military Academy, our pen. We did not go on the streets or fired files. We just smiled.
(Harinder Baweja is a senior journalist and writer. She has been reporting on current affairs with special emphasis on struggle for the last four decades. She can be reached on Instagram and X on @Shammybaweja. This is an opinion, and expressed ideas expressed. The Quint Neither endors nor responsible for them.)
