Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has put himself in a knotty situation by having his shoelaces tied by a man during a visit to Mysore Saturday. Siddaramaiah has been criticised by various sections of society after a video clip of the incident went viral on social media.
The chief minister’s action of putting his foot forward to allow the man to tie laces during a visit to the house of 76-year-old veteran Kannada film actor Chetan Rama Rao, who passed away Friday, has left little scope of escape for him.
This is just the latest in a long list of instances of elitism by those in power. This kind of behaviour is not limited to the representatives of any one political party. They all seem to be behaving in the same manner.
Earlier this year, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan got himself carried across a puddle by people in his security detail during a tour of flood-hit areas in August. Social media claimed it was an attempt to avoid getting his shoes wet.
One photograph also showed a security officer carrying the Chief Minister’s shoes while the latter walked barefoot. That incident was condemned by twitterati and they ridiculed the senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
One year earlier, in August 2015, another senior leader of the BJP, Maharashtra minister for rural development, women and child development, Pankaja Munde, got herself embroiled in a controversy when a member of her staff was seen carrying her slippers during a visit to drought-affected areas of her state.
In November 2015, Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Kusum Mehdele was caught kicking a boy who had reportedly fallen at her feet begging for a paltry sum in the state’s Panna district.
Such incidents have always brought instant condemnation, not only from the opponents of the person concerned but also from various other sections of people outside the political spectrum. However, none of this seems to have had any impact on these high-handed people.
The political leaders have made various ridiculous statements trying to justify their actions. In Siddaramaiah’s case, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has said that the person who helped him was not a member of his staff but a relative.
The CMO has also said that the person could not have been tying laces as the Chief Minister does not wear shoes with laces. The purported explanation misses the point altogether. The fact that Siddaramaiah had someone help him put on his shoes is condemnable. It does not matter whether the person is a staff member, a government servant, or a relative.
On the other hand, Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde took the cake as far as explanations go. The BJP leader reportedly said that she had just taken off her slippers as she was facing difficulty in walking through muddy water wearing them and was not even aware that someone had picked them up. It is not believable that a minister going out on tour could just leave the footwear and move on unless s/he was certain someone else was picking them up.
This story is not about footwear, wristwatches, pens or late arrival for flights. This is a narrative that has long been affecting the mindset of unworthy people suddenly getting elevated to positions of power.
While on one side, it shows the desire to lord over ‘subjects’, it also demonstrates the subjects’ desire to serve the ruler and show how obedient and docile they are to those who rule them.
This does not imply that a personal security officer should not look after small comforts of the person to whom the officer is assigned to. An uncaring attitude could also imply disobedience which may endanger the life of the person whom the officer guards.
Yet, without preaching insubordination, it should be understood that a security officer must have his hands free to act in emergencies. And in places where, instead of security officer, someone else is trying to prove loyalty, it is the politician who should remember that any act of trying to prove superiority will eventually turn harmful for them.
Desisting from these acts will enhance their acceptability and respect. In a democracy, both the people and their leaders have to be humble by effort.