Of late, not a day goes by without a political leader putting his foot in his mouth. Condescending politicians may well view public speaking as an occupational hazard, but then they appear ill-prepared for such a PR exercise, which when mishandled can lead to a negative fallout for both individual and party image.
Going by his record, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari is a prime candidate for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, a trait he seems to share with some party colleagues like Narendra Modi, who made himself look ornery as he targeted Shashi Tharoor’s “`50-crore girlfriend” (now his wife).
In comparing the IQs of revered spiritual icon Swami Vivekananda and terror mastermind Dawood Ibrahim, Mr Gadkari appears to have made a faux pas of gigantic proportions. Not only did he err in comparing men across eras while trying to string together a metaphor for natural gifts versus achievement and nature versus nurture, he could not have chosen a more divergent pair of human beings to make his convoluted point.
Granted he is already under fire as leader of the largest Opposition party as he is being investigated for various business dealings, that is no excuse for letting his brain take a rest while mouthing the oddest philosophical thought in a risible comparison between a saintly figure and a fugitive brigand. A rebellion in his own party, with Mahesh Jethmalani resigning from the BJP national executive, is the least of Mr Gadkari’s problems as he faces pressure like never before.