Rao Inderjit Singh says democracy is a handicap, triggers slugfest

GURUGRAM: With assembly elections round the corner, local MP and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh’s “democracy a handicap” comment has triggered a political row in the state.
Opposition parties have strongly condemned the statement, which was reported in sections of the media on Saturday, saying it’s yet another attempt by the BJP to “demean democracy and its institutions”.The state’s ruling party has, however, asserted that the minister’s intention and not just the words need to be understood.
On Friday, addressing the inaugural session of the National Urban Development Summit in Gurugram, Singh said, “We are a democracy, sometimes it’s a boon, sometimes it’s a curse. China has developed so much faster than us because it is not a democracy… We are handicapped.”
Coming down heavily on the minister, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar said on Saturday, “It’s unfortunate that a five-time MP finds democracy handicapped. But, it isn’t surprising given the way the party and its senior leaders have an authoritarian way of running the country and undermining all the institutions of democracy just to grab power by any mean.”
Reiterating this sentiment, Jannayak Janata Party too attacked the ruling party for the comment by Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit.
“They have no regard for democracy and are hell-bent on changing the political fabric of the country. It’s funny that he (Inderjit) finds democracy handicap. I think he’s right and I support him. If it wasn’t the case how else would they come back to power, in spite of shameful performance on all economic indicators?” said senior JJP leader Subay Singh.
BJP said it was important to see the context in which the comments were made. “Don’t go by the words in isolation, we need to understand the context and intent behind his statement. It is so shameful and disgraceful that the opposition has become totally useless and is not working in national interest,” Haryana BJP spokesperson Raman Malik told TOI.
Political analysts had a different take, viewing these comments as a part of the nature of discourses that are taking place. “The comment indicates a shift in political discourse that is increasingly becoming popular,” said Kushal Pal, the state coordinator of the Lokniti Programme for Comparative Democracy, a research initiative on polls.
Haryana is headed into assembly elections, which are likely to be announced next month, and the minister’s comments could echo in poll battlefields as opposition parties take on the might of BJP. The ruling party won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state and is looking to better its 2014 performance in the assembly.