The contemporary political discourse has taken a tortuous course marked by hypocrisy, derogation, vilification, insolent mockery and sexist slurs. Yogi Adityanath calls Rahul Gandhi “accidental Hindu.” Kejriwal calls Modi a ‘thanedar’ in the context of recent arrests of AAP members. Tarnishing the political imageIn pursuance of legitimising their political agenda, leaders indulge in pejorative discursive constructions of their opponents with an aim to debase their political image. Present-day political discourse exhibits a repugnant oratory subjecting women in the political arena to psychological violence. This necessitates a more informed and active intervention from the Electoral Commission in order to curb dehumanised use of language and progress in the direction of a more civil, just and ethical political discourse that induces aesthetic humanism.

Source: Hindustan Times May 26, 2024 09:53 UTC