Freedom of Expression: Too little or too much?

Recently, the supporters of Congress Party got caught up in a tricky situation. Two of its own leaders took to social media on a heated argument. Salman Khurshid had equated political Hindutva with ‘jihadist’ Islam of groups like the Islamic State and Boko Haram of Nigeria. Another senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad called the comparison ‘factually wrong’ and an ‘exaggeration’. While it is an interesting debate to watch, there lies an underlying problem that needs to be addressed by the Party leadership.

At present, the political discourse in India is dominated by a right-wing majoritarian Party. They have clearly established resources and wealth for propagating narratives. Over the years, their online cadre has become so strong that they can easily influence political propositions into the minds of people.

Unlike the ruling dispensation, where decision making is centralised among few leaders at the top, the Congress Party thrives on the values of freedom of expression and the right to dissent. These qualities make the Party an inclusive space for everyone. However, when two of its leaders come out on public domain to counter each other’s philosophical position, the Party’s supporters feel perplexed on the side to choose. It weakens the ability of the Party machinery to effectively propagate the Party’s narrative to the masses.

For the opposition Party, the only way to tackle the adversary is to put forth a unified narrative on public domain. The entire Party cadre along with the leaders should use all available means to convey the narrative to the people. I am of the opinion that this single narrative should come out of consensus. And for this, there should be a space on Party forums for leaders to engage in such debates. These discussions should, in fact, translate into policy positions of the Party. Importantly, these narratives of the Party cannot be dominated by leaders wielding positions of power.

Unless there is space within the Party to express a difference in opinion, leaders feel tempted to vent out their opinion on public platform. Supporters split into different groups. The Party loses its ground against the adversary.