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#MeraBharatKahan: There Is No More Outrage, Just Fatigue 

The Quint’s Aakash Joshi is just tired of the bigotry in our public discourse.

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I should have stuck to the Oscars. But instead, the first thing I read this morning was the lead story in the Indian Express. A union minister, members of Parliament and other political leaders equated Muslims to rakshasas, to Ravana’s army and said they must be “cornered and destroyed”.

It’s not even surprising anymore, this public display of prejudice and bigotry. There are Ghar Wapasi and the beef ban, Azam Khan and his tales of the Prime Minister meeting Dawood in secret meetings in Pakistan, condom counting in JNU and religious leaders on what women should wear and how segregation at houses of god is absolutely the done thing.

The Quint’s Aakash Joshi is just tired of the bigotry in our public discourse.
Gyandev Ahuja, BJP MLA from Alwar made some bizarre comments about JNU. (Photo: The Quint)

Usually, the kind of statements, incitements to violence by elected officials and the Minister of State for Human Resources would elicit a predictable response. ‘Outrage’, anger and perhaps if we could pull it off, a bit of satire. On any other day, I can see my pitch at our morning meeting now – “QRant: Minister Calls Muslims Ravanas”. We would rant and poke fun at the minister and talk about his responsibility as a public official, and his oath to uphold the values of a secular, democratic, egalitarian constitution.

But how long can you sustain anger and moral righteousness? The minister is an elected official, as are many others who make such statements. Religious leaders and fake gurus seem to have no dearth of followers. It seems that the more you polarise, exclude and divide, the more successful you will be in the spectacle of India’s public life.

The Quint’s Aakash Joshi is just tired of the bigotry in our public discourse.
Yogi Adityanath makes ridiculous staments with almost professional panache. He is a member of Parliament. (Photo altered by The Quint)

It’s all just one unending episode of Bigg Boss.

Is there any point in being an engaged citizen, in following and participating in a public discourse that has been dragged through the mud by everyone from politicians, to prime time debate hosts and, let’s face it – all of us?

On some days, I am just tired. On some days, there is no QRant, just QFatigue. Today is one of those days.

I really should have stuck to the Oscars.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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Topics:  Beef Ban   Azam Khan   JNU Row 

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