02
November 2013
Our netas
seem to display a lack of knowledge of our own history. It is time they did
their homework diligently
If some of
our political leaders were to be contestants on a history segment of a Kaun
Banega Crorepati-type quiz, chances are they would go home empty-handed.
Politicians are known to subtely twist historical facts to suit themselves.
But, in today’s world, with its easy access to information, such sins of
omission or commission are all too easily caught out. And with 24 hour
television, the common refrain of being misquoted is also one of diminishing
returns. While some of these gaffes are controversial and insensitive, like
Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma saying that “I am happy with this inflation’,
many are comical and some are just plain fudget facts. Comments that twist
historical facts expose the poor grasp our leaders have over our own past.
On Tuesday,
at the inauguration of the renovated Sardar Vallabhbhai patel memorial Museum
in Ahmedabad, Gujarat chief minister and prime ministerial aspirant narendra
Modi reportedly said that Jawaharlal Nehru did not attend Patel’s funeral.
Which is not the case. Other instances where Modi has got his facts wrong are
in saying that Chandragupta Maurya belonged to the Gupta dynasty, that Chine
spends 20% of its GDP on education (Beijing devotes hardly 4%) and that Gujarat
empowered women (the sex ratio has fallen in the past decade). Congress
vice-president Rahul Gandhi also seemingly got it wrong when he referred to the
‘large 70-foot ashes with dead bodies’ in Uttar Pradesh in the heat of the
state election campaign earlier. It is not just our netas who are prone to
gaffes. Topping the global list would be former Alaska
governor Sarah Palin’s remark that ‘You can see Russia from land here in
Alaska’. Former US president George W Bush’s ‘Bushisms’ like “I know the human
being and fish can coexist peacefully” have found a lasting place in public
memory.
It is an
affront to the intelligence of our people that leaders don’t bother to do their
homework. They need to be careful about their words, and most certainly about
their facts. Those who don’t know our history, can hardly be trusted to chart
out our future. Perhaps, all parties need to conduct crash courses in
historical information so that when our worthies get up and speak in public,
they are on firm ground.
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