Vanishing decorum

Election campaign speeches are hitting a new low

India is bang in the midst of the Lok Sabha elections and the tradition of abusive language with communal overtones during campaigns continues. On Monday, the Election Commission prohibited Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati from election campaigning for 72 hours and 48 hours, respectively, for violating the Model Code of Conduct. Referring to Mr Adityanath’s comments at a rally that “his Bajrangbali is mightier than Ali”, the EC said the speech was “provocative”, and the chief minister of a state should bear the responsibility of upholding secularism. Similarly, Ms Mayawati has been