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In any circus, there are performers and an audience. But what if the performers are unwilling, the audience is nauseated and the show is a macabre display of hypocrisy, death and opportunism?
The aftermath of Gajendra Singh’s suicide at an AAP rally today resembled a circus, with political leaders across party lines making insensitive comments and trying to score brownie points off an unfortunate incident.
And social media was not amused. For once, Twitter refrained from jokes, and instead articulated the collective anger with the political class that a nation feels today.
AAP leader Somnath Bharti’s comments calling the suicide a ‘conspiracy’ attracted a lot of criticism. But what really got Twitterati’s goat was AAP leader Ashutosh sarcastic ‘Will ask Arvind Kejriwal to climb tree and save farmer next time.’
BJP’s Sambit Patra also came under fire for his apparent empathy which enabled him to understand a farmer’s plight, just because he is a doctor by profession.
Many pointed out the unfortunate similarities between today’s events and ‘Peepli Live’, a satirical comedy film starring Aamir Khan, released in 2010.
Of course, news channels and their propensity for hashtags was attacked as opportunist and an unfortunate repercussion of the current demand (and appreciation for) ‘hashtag journalism.’
But the question remains, will Gajendra Singh’s death just become another controversy for political parties, over which they could exchange tirades and assign blame? Will it just remain a dramatic TV moment for the media?
Or will Gajendra Singh’s suicide shift the focus of the Land Acquisition Bill debate to the farmer and his issues?
Let us know in the comments below.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)