Editorial in the Hindustan Times, Delhi:

“Nothing like quoting William Shakespeare to get poor Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda out of a fix. The English bard in King Lear had written with noticeable cadence, “Degenerate bastard, I’ll not trouble thee…. By calling B.S. Yediyurappa a “bloody bastard” and the more colourful term “bosudi maga” (that our sources say translates into “son of a bitch”), we simply feel the need to relook at our relationship with swear words.

“The fact that H.D. Deve Gowda’s language was ‘unparliamentary’ doesn’t cut much ice. He wasn’t in Parliament, a place where people have made a tradition of turning far more aggressive than by hurling abuse. Yediyurappa, a polite manner who probably thinks of the words ‘bloody nonsense’ when he is really, really angry was understandably upset. By demanding that documents be furnished that would prove that he is an ‘illegitimate child’ — something that he isn’t — he showed how hurt he was.”

Read the full editorial here: What the #@&$

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Editorial in Deccan Herald:

“The choicest epithets hurled by Deve Gowda against Yediyurappa on Sunday mirrored the sad state of affairs in the country’s polity. The language employed by Gowda is at odds with his stature. Arguably, he is a father figure in Karnataka politics, a former chief minister and most significantly a former prime minister. He should be setting examples in correct political conduct.

“With half-a-century of political life behind him, Gowda is expected to raise the bar of political decorum, not to lower it…. No person in public life, let alone Gowda, can use such abusive language against anyone. Gowda has let himself down, badly. In the process, he has done great harm to the polity as such behaviour by people who held top positions can only strengthen public cynicism about today’s political class.”

Read the full editorial here: Crass politics

Cartoon: courtesy E.P. Unny/ The Indian Express

Also read: The most f*****g versatile word in the world