AS ANGER and frustration rises in the country over the crude and obscene language used by protesters against Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi during the students’ movement led by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the PM has come out with an appeal for restraint and forgiveness for the “misguided youth”. It is a heartwarming show of kindness by Mr. Modi even after the vile abuses he and his deceased mother faced during the protests from a section of youngsters. The PM has set a brilliant example in statesmanship by asking people to pardon the “mischievous youngsters” and instead guide them. Mr. Modi’s appeal for restraint, through a video message, has come amid police cases against youth protesters and social media posts. The language used in those viral videos was absolutely third rate and unbecoming of any civilised society. Many young girls hurled filthiest abuses while making personal attacks on the PM and also his family. It was a cultural shock to see the youngsters demolishing the limits of decency and public behaviour. The society naturally felt offended by the show of profanity and the police cases against some of those involved in the vile display are an obvious outcome of public anger. However, Mr. Modi decided to show his large heart by seeking forgiveness for the youngsters calling them misguided.

 

The sentiment has been largely welcomed by the society while a section continues to accuse the PM of playing the victim card. It is sad to see some people still justifying profanity and backing those youngsters’ behaviour. They are blinded by their political ideas which have the sole agenda of opposing the Prime Minister and his party. Their wrong stand will soon boomerang on them while the country welcomes the PM’s kind-hearted gesture towards youngsters. The PM has chosen a simple analogy of accidentally biting one’s own tongue to back his decision to forgive the youngsters indulging in obscenity during the CJP protests. He reminded people that just like one does not break one’s teeth for the accidental bite, punishing our own children for a mistake is not a solution. It is a mature and generous response to the incident by someone wedded to the collective good of the society.

 

The language used by the young protesters deserves severe condemnation but as Mr. Modi has pointed out, punishing them, dragging them through court proceedings or harassing them in society would not change the situation. Instead, these youngsters need proper guidance so that they overcome this dark episode in their formative years. While the PM has done his bit by quelling the wave of anger against the misguided youngsters, the onus is now on the young brigade to reciprocate this benevolent gesture. While some of the offenders have realised their mistake and issued public apologies, a section is still engaged in whataboutery and justification of the abusive protests. They should make sense of the situation and move ahead instead of remaining blinded by their rigid ideologies. A progressive society has no place for such vile behaviour, especially by youngsters who are yet to fully understand the essence of a healthy democracy. In the name of freedom of speech, profanity cannot be allowed to become a new normal in public behaviour. Disagreement remains a fundamental right of people but it cannot come through crassness and obscenity. The PM’s appeal has set the ball rolling for a course correction.