Of A Great Kinship!
   Date :13-Feb-2021

r Mrs. Sushma Swaraj._1&n
But those who have seen and worked for the success of dialogue as a core principle of democracy are unfazed. They travel beyond the political zone and emerge as humane entities with all qualities of head and heart. That is when we see members of other parties crying openly during their speeches of condolence to leaders such as Mr. Arun Jaitley or Mrs. Sushma Swaraj.
New Delhi, February 10 (Agencies): Prime Minister Narendra Modi was moved to tears on several occasion as he spoke in farewell of Congress Member of Parliament and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad whose term in the Rajya Sabha is coming to end.
 
As he gave his response to the Members’ sentiments, Ghulam Nabi Azad, too, became emotional at many points. Quoting poetry, he said, in effect, that he would always be the member of the larger family of Parliament. He also talked of how proud he was for being an Indian Muslim as he knew the conditions in Pakistan. During his speech, Ghulam Nabi Azad, too, paused many times to collect himself, wipe his tears and speak on. ...
EVERYBODY knows that the political community enjoys overall good relations among its members. Yet, the kind of kinship that came to fore on that day was of a rare and great kind, perhaps not experienced on many occasions during the seven decades of history of India’s Parliament since Independence. Tears flowed freely, and faces grimaced in pain on both sides of the divide as Mr. Narendra Modi recalled his long and wonderful association with Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, whose response, too, was of the same quality as that of the Prime Minister.
 
That one episode brought to fore the actual strength of the democratic institutions that operate in India. The political parties may appear to be fighting tooth-and-nail battles in the open, but many members of the community develop soft-corners for others, thanks to personal qualities of head and heart. India’s contemporary political history is full of such instances though those do not surface every now and then. That day, however, when Mr. Narendra Modi actually saluted Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, the whole House, and the nation, was moved to its core.
 
A story is told famously of how Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru stopped by in Parliament’s lobby and said to the young and new Member of Parliament (of the then Jan Sangh) Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, in effect, that the young leader had a great future. Factually, just a few minutes earlier, Mr. Vajpayee had mounted a fierce attack on Pandit Nehru’s policies in the Lok Sabha. Actually, he felt quite embarrassed to see Pandit Nehru headed towards him and would have loved, perhaps, to shy away. But Pandit Nehru put his hand on Mr. Vajpayee’s shoulder and appreciated his oratory and blessed him with all success.
 
Similar stories are available in the lore of India’s parliamentary and legislative Houses -- of leaders forgetting their bitter speeches a few minutes earlier and mingling with one another as if they have been friends of long years.
Factually, however, it must be admitted that many of them do develop deep, personal bonds with even those on the other side of the ideological and political divide -- generally surprising common people who see only the strong hostilities expressed by them in public as part of their politics. Of course, it is only natural that members across the dividing line develop strong bonds with one another. They work in the same place for years, get to know each other professionally and personally, and extend help to one another liberally when a
request comes.
India’s democratic institutions get stronger in this twilight zone in which mutual respect of the members of politicians with differing ideologies and political purposes descend -- or ascend -- to human levels and allow a rare kinship to bond them with one another. This is, of course, an area that confuses the common man who is yet to rise above the emotional mess in which he subsists in general. He does not understand the polish of the connect that Mr. Modi and Mr. Azad demonstrated that day.
It is also equally true that some members of the political community stretch things to unreasonable extent and cause damage to the core value of democracy -- respect for one and all, no matter where one stands in the zone of ideology. Such people cross all limits of decency and decorum and try to cause a deep hurt to the honour of the people on the other side of the divide. Currently, unfortunately, the number of such persons is rising -- much to the annoyance of those who believe in democratic classicism.
But those who have seen and worked for the success of dialogue as a core principle of democracy are unfazed. They travel beyond the political zone and emerge as humane entities with all qualities of head and heart. That is when we see members of other parties crying openly during their speeches of condolence to leaders such as Mr. Arun Jaitley or Mrs. Sushma Swaraj.
Again, that may surprise the common people. However, at the highest levels of political activity where no ordinary mortals can survive, persons have been known to rise to great and rare heights of humaneness and a feeling of kinship.
This happens everywhere -- in India and elsewhere -- when men and women behave like men and women and not political automatons or morons. In fact, it is from this layer of human connect that the democratic institutions actually draw their sustenance. For, no matter the bitter speeches they may make officially or indulge in dirty political games, at least some of them are conscious of the criticality of human emotion as a driving force in the effort of togetherness. Such people, then, keep the ethical standards high and unadulterated. They stand for higher values that shape human civilisation and make silent contributions to consolidate those values
That day, the Rajya Sabha only saw the open display of personal respect Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad feel for each other.