What Indian liberals might want to learn from Jon Stewart

I can’t think of a single Indian figure who, like presenter and satirist Jon Stewart, is fiercely pluralistic and progressive, but also has a sustained focus on the armed forces and the rights of soldiers and veterans

I wonder how many of you had the chance to watch a viral video this week of Jon Stewart, movie-maker, satirist, and one-time presenter of The Daily Show. Stewart did not hold back on expletives and rage as he lashed out at United States (US) lawmakers trying to stall legislation on benefits for military veterans.

Stewart did not hold back on expletives as he lashed out at lawmakers trying to stall legislation on benefits for US veterans. Eventually, the Senate passed the Pact Act in support of soldiers who have been exposed to toxins in conflict zones, and Stewart had reason to celebrate. (Getty Images)

Eventually, the Senate passed the Pact Act in support of American soldiers who have been exposed to toxins in conflict zones such as Iraq, and Stewart had much reason to celebrate. He also expressed regret for his volatile display of temper, conceding he had taken the focus off the Vets, and inadvertently made himself the headline.

Stewart, ferociously independent and socially liberal, is neither a registered Republican nor Democrat. In 2019, he revealed to Fox News that he only once voted for a Republican president — George Bush Senior, in 1988. Previously, he earned praise from both conservatives and liberals for his advocacy in support of 9/11 frontline responders.

As I watched him embrace the wife of a military officer who has been ill since he was exposed to burn pits in Iraq, I thought about the lessons for public and political life in India, especially in an increasingly polarised domestic environment.

Can you think of one significant Indian figure, for instance, who is fiercely pluralistic and progressive on issues of gender, religion, and diversity, and has also made the military and our soldiers their central cause?

I am not talking about the token lip-service offered by politicians on the anniversaries of great wars such as 1971 or Kargil. Or the ritualistic, event-based show of deference by celebrities. And I certainly do not endorse the dangerous propensity among Right-wing troll armies to weaponise the idea of the military to arbitrate who is a true nationalist. That is faux patriotism.

But can you think of a politician — or a liberal public figure — who has made it a sustained mission to, for instance, advocate for the war wounded or disabled soldiers? Or someone known to be a champion of civil liberties, free speech, and equality of all people (as Stewart is); but has also spent weeks and months sitting in with protesting soldiers on issues like One Rank, One Pension?

In our country, the political and religious Right has co-opted the space to represent the sentiments of the Indian soldier. And the ideologues opposed to them have not just ceded that space; many make the mistake of sneering at those passionately interested in the Army, Air Force, and Navy.

I can think of a handful of exceptions among leaders on the other side of the power divide: Captain Amarinder Singh, Sachin Pilot, Manish Tewari, and Manvendra Singh, and nearly all have a familial or personal affiliation with the military. Or there have been evident attempts by parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party to introduce a patriotism or deshbhakti curriculum in schools.

But that’s not what I am speaking of.

Think of how Arvind Kejriwal before he turned to electoral politics — and whether you agreed or disagreed with him at the time — made corruption a mainstream issue in the larger imagination of the citizenry.

In this case, the soldier is already larger than life in popular response; the military remains the most respected and trusted institution in survey after survey.

As progressives — I identify as one — we are quick to call out diminishing freedoms of expression, condemn hate speech, and demand diversity in the workplace with passion and fury. But largely, there has either been disengagement and indifference on military matters or a failure and inability to understand the deep honour of donning a uniform.

It’s almost as if liberals associate the idea of centre-staging the Indian soldier with the coarsened discourse led by some bigoted television hosts.

This is a fatal mistake.

Ask yourself how prime-time studio “warriors” got to define this debate, to begin with.

It is precisely because there is hardly any role model we can turn to who will speak as vociferously on subjects such as the marginalisation of religious minorities, the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, violence against Dalits, the state of the economy, and the rights of veterans.

The “either-or-ing” of this into artificially created constructs of the Right-wing and Left-wing is both short-sighted and inauthentic.

As the Army’s own traditions of sarv dharam sthal (confluence of different religions) and mandir-masjid-gurudwara conclaves of worship show you, it is more than plausible to be unwavering on national security and embracing, inclusive and compassionate about all our fellow citizens.

An Indian Jon Stewart is an idea whose time has come. Where is the liberal with a sustained focus on India’s military?

Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author

The views expressed are personal