Rita Bahuguna episode: We feel sick

The Indian middle class are like the Chinese. They love Chinese food. And they are so busy running after money that they have given up their political rights. Even on voting day they go off on a picnic.

The country has been left to politicians. And they have screwed it up. Indian politics hit a new low when the illustrious daughter-in-law of H.N. Bahuguna said that Mayawati should get raped and they (the Congress party, one presumes) will giver her one crore rupees.

The background to this is BSP supremo's latest brain-wave of doling out Rs 25,000 (or Rs 75,000) to rape victims. Mayawati's gestures is cheap. But what Professor (God!) Rita Bahuguna said was cheaper. And the lady waves and makes V-signs when she gets bail and emerges from prison as if she had done the country proud.

May be the Bahuguna lady thinks she has done a great thing by taking on the BSP in Uttar Pradesh. Seeing her act from the viewpoint of politicians, it was a master-stroke (notwithstanding the tut-tuts from Sonia Gandhi.

But the level of political discourse of India has sunk to a new low. Many say Mayawati had made similar 'rape' comments two years ago (see video below) and she deserves it. That is no excuse. Also that is exactly the point. The big parties are stooping to gutter level discourse (remember Varun Gandhi's Pilibhit speech?).

It is said the people get leaders they deserve. Others say the ordinary people do what their leaders do. Either way I get a sick feeling.