Watch your tongue

A Bihar Assembly member of the Janata Dal (United) from Gopalpur in Bihar warned his political rivals not to insult the party workers. Addressing a public gathering on Sunday, Gopal Mandal said he would chop off people's tongues if they criticised his party workers. Barely six months ago, Idris Ali, a Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member from West Bengal, had courted controversy when he threatened to "tear out the tongue" and "chop off the limbs" of a Left party leader. Last year, when political circles in Tamil Nadu were abuzz with conjecture that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was unwell, a minister from her party said he would cut off the tongue of anyone, who talked about her health.