Politics is an all-consuming affair in the Indian context. This, however, is not being stated as a compliment. That is because, on occasion, politics can transcend the realm of the living and leave its murky imprint on the departed. India and parts of the world have been deeply affected by the passing of the former prime minister and statesman, Manmohan Singh. The Union government has declared a seven-day state of mourning. Yet, politics could not be kept out from even such a solemn moment: the sparring between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party on a number of issues related to Singh’s funeral put paid to the hopes of the two national parties engaging in political civility that would befit the sombre hour. The Congress trained its guns on its rival for the Narendra Modi government’s refusal to arrange for a separate site for Singh’s funeral that could have been turned into a memorial, an honour that the BJP had accorded to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Singh’s predecessor. The Congress also complained of, among other things, the alleged mismanagement of funeral arrangements; the state media, the Congress said, had also apparently focused disproportionately on the prime minister and the Union home minister during Singh’s cremation. The BJP put out a rebuttal of each of these charges, besides raking up the controversy of the Congress undermining Singh during his stint as prime minister. The mutual finger-pointing should have been deferred to an appropriate time. India had expected its two principal political forces to be more sensitive and mature: instead, it was witness to petulant behaviour from and crass attempts at scoring political points by these two parties.

Such unwarranted conduct is, in fact, an indicator of a deeper crisis, one that would have certainly pained Singh who was an exemplar of impeccable values. Competitive politics has resulted in the deepening of rivalry that has left no space for respect among political rivals. The strained ties between the Congress and the BJP are a testament to the erosion in the culture of courtesy which, in turn, is suggestive of the weakening of India’s federal edifice. The perpetual fracas in Parliament, which also undermines the productivity of the institution, is another example of this deterioration. The rot must be arrested before it is too late.