In a bizarre case, an Uber driver in Mumbai took his passenger to the police because he believed him to be anti-national. The passenger in question was 23-year-old Jaipur-based poet Bappaditya Sarkar, who was in the city for a poetry reading session at the Kala Ghoda Festival. Though the police let Sarkar off after routine questioning, they advised him to avoid carrying around his musical dafli and wearing a red scarf as times weren’t good.

The incident clearly shows the high level of suspicion that is plaguing society. According to political philosopher Francis Fukuyama, poor societies are those where a high level of distrust prevails. Unfortunately, our politicians these days are not doing a great job of promoting trust as a social virtue. At a time when political rhetoric has become highly polarised, hate and anxiety are filtering down to people. In the Delhi election campaign, even chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was branded as a terrorist by political opponents, including a Union minister. Politicians may see such rhetoric as par for the course. But their words continue to have huge impact on ordinary people.

Take the example of “love jihad” rhetoric. Once upon a time even the NIA was deputed to chase this chimera, but junior home minister G Kishan Reddy said in Parliament this week that no central agency has reported any such case. In reality, conservative animus against interfaith marriages has been converted into a political tool that ends up stirring anxiety and hate. And it’s not just ordinary people but the whole state machinery that gets affected, dispensing injustice instead of justice. This is precisely why politicians need to be extra careful, and not invoke imaginary enemies. In social media driven times whatever they say is multiplied manifold, leading to unintended consequences. Polarising political rhetoric presents a bigger threat to social harmony and trust than ever before.