Humour, friendship, politics: leaders reflect on laughter and respect

“A joke is a very serious thing,” said Communist Marxist Party leader C.P. John, opening a panel discussion on ‘Humour in politics’ (Rashtriyathile Chiri) at the fourth edition of the Kerala Legislature International Book Festival (KLIBF) organised by the Kerala Legislative Assembly here on Friday.

The session, moderated by anchor Nishanth M.V., brought together politicians P.K. Basheer of the Indian Union Muslim League, K. Muraleedharan of the Congress, and Pannian Raveendran of the Communist Party of India, besides Mr. John.

They reflected on the evolution of humour, political correctness in jokes, the State of political friendships, and the influence of social media, while recounting personal and historical incidents.

Social consciousness

Commenting on the evolution of humour over time, Mr. John noted that many jokes that once evoked laughter often did not these days. “In contemporary society, people tend to laugh guided by their social consciousness.”

Highlighting how humour has always been present in politics, Mr. Muraleedharan recalled a humorous incident when his father K. Karunakaran decided to suspend five Opposition MLAs. While reading out the names, an Opposition leader snatched the paper away. Mr. Karunakaran, who anticipated the move, took out another sheet of paper from his pocket and quipped, “Don’t let them snatch my glasses too.”

Remembering actor Sreenivasan, Mr. Ravindran pointed out how Sreenivasan’s humour encouraged the audience not only to laugh but also think, thereby reinforcing the underlying idea. “The jokes we tell should be closely linked to the topic we are discussing; otherwise, what is the point of the joke at all?”

Their rapport

He also noted the close relationship among the panellists, though they represented different political parties.

Mr. Basheer noted how politicians from the time of his father P. Seethi Haji maintained a steady relationship across party lines – going for food and movies together, while maintaining close ties with each other’s families. “Such friendships no longer exist,” he said.

Emphasising the harmful effects of social media on political relationships, Mr. Muraleedharan recounted an incident when a photograph of A.A. Rahim, MP, and him chatting was posted online. The post resulted in abusive comments by the public. Such comments suggested that people with differing political ideologies should not speak to one another, he said, asking if it would not lead to loss of human ties.