by
P.S. Sahni
The Delhi’s Chief
Electoral Officer (CEO) has reportedly asked the Aam Admi Party on 28 April
2024 to modify the over-two-minute-long party’s rap song which was released on
25 April 2024 as part of its campaign.
‘Jail ke jawab mein hum
vote denge’
A plain translation in
English would be:
‘In response to jail, we shall
vote’
The AAP sees it as a ban
on the song as – according to Election Commission – it shows the ruling party
and investigation agencies in a bad light. Media reports quoted the Election
Commission of India statement:
“the phrase
‘jail ke jawab mein hum vote denge’ showing an aggressive mob holding the photo
of Kejriwal showing him behind bars casts aspersions on the Judiciary.”
The action against the
song came after the Delhi CEO received a complaint from the BJP, which alleged
that the song made “unverified and false allegations” against its party
candidates. The objections raised by Delhi CEO pertains to instigation to
violence; using terms like ‘tanashahi’; image of Kejriwal behind bars casts
aspersions on judiciary. But recall 1977.
Recall the election campaign
of George Fernandes in 1977 from jail when he was lodged in the Baroda dynamite
case. Certain facts need to be remembered as quoted in (HUFFPOST, 14 January 2020):
·
Sushma Swaraj’s husband Swaraj Kaushal, a former MP and
Supreme court lawyer, filled the nomination forms for Fernandes in the first
election post-Emergency and also helped plan the campaign
·
The meetings also included a cage which contained a man in
handcuffs to remind people that the candidate was still in jail.
The charges against George
Fernandes were serious – of procuring dynamite sticks to blow up government
establishments and railway tracks. George Fernandes used to refer to Indira
Gandhi as Madam dictator; favoured violent over-throw of her dictatorial
regime. The image behind bars of George Fernandes was used as campaign
material. The Election commission Of India raised no objections at that time to
Fernandes’ campaign; it was not seen to cast aspersions on the judiciary.
Sushma Swaraj’s husband had – as stated earlier – helped plan the election
campaign. Sushma Swaraj coined the slogan ‘Jail ka phatak tutega, hamara george
chutega’ (Jagran, 7 August 2019). In fact, George Fernandes rose to become the
Union Defence Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government.
Conscious people are
unlikely to accept the objections raised by the Election Commission of India.
Politics cannot be allowed to go for a song!
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