this blog is about the dirty politics that media &mediapersons play in India. attempt is to expose the corruption in media.attempt is to bring in public glare unethical, unprofessional conduct of media & its corrupt persons.
Showing posts with label Indira Gandhi News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indira Gandhi News. Show all posts
The constant chatter on the net and twitter in particular about the Radia tapes which the twitterati has christened as #barkhagate has been trending for last 5 days. In sharp contrast to this has been the deafening silence from our mainstream English media.
We are more accustomed to a sensational and hyper reportage from our electronic medium, which has disappointed us by not picking on this subject. Leave alone playing the tapes of the conversations which are readily accessible on the net, no mention has been made by any channel. Normally we are compelled to watch the recordings/cds repeatedly until we full up to our noses.
Last evening CNNIBN conjured up the required courage to host a show at 10PM Face The Nation “Is corporate lobbying undermining democracy?” This we believe was done under tremendous public pressure, who are visibly agitated by the conspiracy of silence on part of the media?
I returned to viewing this channel after almost a lapse of 2 years. Yes with a very smug feeling, that we did achieve a success, IBNlive is at liberty to deny the role of public pressure and can state it as an editorial decision, yet it came 4 days too late. How many would buy it?
The points raised were valid role of corporate lobbyist per se is not evil, nor is it illegal, however the journalists involved in peddling influence or facilitating the corporate lobbyist in their endeavors is a totally different issue. This was the consensus among the panelists.
Host of the show did make a feeble attempt at trying to defend members of her fraternity. The right and choice is her’s. The point that I wish to raise is larger, we the viewers have been subjected to biased and opinionated editorials which have been presented to us in the garb of news.
It is not just the two journalists who are in the eye of the storm, the host Mrs.Sagarika Ghose is also guilty of being contemptuous towards us, our contrarian view have lead her to label us as “Internet Hindus” which was her way of hitting back at a vocal audience, who dared to voice their opinion/views via the net. Very often she would not permit comments from a large number of us to appear on her blogs.
Somewhere prior to Ayodhaya verdict she tweeted in the most irreverent manner about “Lord Ram being a Divine Encroacher.” Maybe there was a minor uproar or it dawned on her that she may have overstepped the line and she deleted the offensive tweet. Not before it had been saved by many on the net.
The question that is being posed to her is, did she in the course of the discussion last evening at any point of time ever so fleetingly feel a tinge of remorse for her actions?
1. Coining the term Internet Hindus. (Which is derogatory in nature)
2. Tweet about Lord Ram.
Has she considered the possibility of tendering an unconditional apology to the viewers and the majority community of this country! No I am not a religious person nor a bigot, yet irreverence towards something or someone who is revered by millions not just in this country but also overseas, who have not taken kindly to her acts.
We do accept the fact that sensitivities, emotions are intangibles.
Ethics and Morality will not touch on these subjects since the words themselves are foreign to our mainstream English media. The concepts or meaning would not be known to them at all.
Let me address this issue from another perspective and that is the sales and marketing and corporate governance. Which business school in the world teaches and trains the sales and marketing teams for companies on the basis of a confrontational approach towards it consumers, clients and viewers? Which business school prepares us for being contemptuous towards our clients and consumers? Is it not repeated ad nauseum that customer is the Master and King?
How come the sales and marketing personnel in your company have not raised this issue with the management? Which corporate would accept the conduct that you have displayed? Not even a family owned business. We are not the intruders; we are raison d’etre for your organization.
I welcome a debate and discussion on this…As always, please keep your tone civil, your language polite…no sweeping generalisations please and no personal abuse. Thank you.
I grew up in a time when we had black & white transmission and limited duration of Television broadcast. Colour transmission was introduced in 1982. Post liberalization a host of new Channel beaming an unending fare of programs 24 X 7. News channels competing for our attention, sitcoms etc!
The new high came in 1999 Kargil War. Channels brought this war right into our living rooms. While the men in uniform covered themselves with glory in the battlefield, a hero was born or should one say a Heroine of the small screen no not the glamorous kind. A news reporter who became the visible face of the 24 x 7 News Channels!
She won our hearts and ruled our minds. We became her slaves believed every word she uttered as gospel truth. Then came a minor shift in 2002, became a little more slanted in 2004, gradually the slant became more steep, which compelled me to scrutinize what was being said on the channel and compare it with others in electronic media and also with the print.
I was now convinced that all was not as it should be; I felt cheated, what recourse did I have? None other than move away from watching news on NDTV; I did precisely that. No not even once did I miss the channel, though I continued to watch programs like Big Fight, We the people and Buck Stops Here, used to post comments regularly on these show, also signed on NDTV Social which is their website.
I did e-mail and share a few tweets with Barkha Dutt around early to mid 2009. By now even the programs hosted by her had started to lose their sheen, it was becoming increasingly apparent that there was more than that met the eye. Slowly but surely I was losing interest in this News Channel which I had watched for almost 2 decades.
The on 2nd Dec 2009 an incident took place on the NDTV social site. Nidhi Razdan employed foul language towards a visitor, which I felt was reason enough for me to move away from following her. I enquired with her if she could block me since that option was not available at my end. The response from her is most forgettable. That sealed my dealing with NDTV. I stopped watching this channel completely 07th Dec 2009.Excerpt of the exchange of tweets with Nidhi Razdan on 2nd Dec 2009 and tweets posted Mr.Pannoy Roy on NDTV (cont)
I progressed from feeling cheated to now a position where there was disgust for this channel and its personnel. Since I did not watch the channel anymore it did not matter what they broadcasted or promoted. On the net post Ayodhaya verdict there were blogs which had specific references to Barkha Dutt excerpt of the conversations and the way she had conduct her show. Finally I ended up signing an online petition to NDTV in protest for what they were transmitting as being unacceptable.
Today what we see is that Barkha Dutt is at the receiving end of the same system that she engendered, do I pity her No! Do I empathize with her unfortunately No is the answer. Do I believe what is going around on the net to be true and authentic? I have no independent source for checking the veracity and would go along and accept it as being true. Do I believe Barkha Dutt is guilty of wrong doing? My answer to that is it is for the courts to decide, I do not have the expertise.
It is due to the reportage and the extreme slant that is visible in the Electronic and Print media that I took to blogging and my main focus has been the role of Media. Today I do feel vindicated that, my suspicions were not unfounded. There is more than what meets the eye. Personnel employed by this industry must realize that they face the camera because of professional compulsions and not because they deserve the attention of those cameras. The sooner arrogance is shed by these individual the better they will be able to connect with the public.
Media is an important interface between the government and the people. This medium needs to be strong, independent, trustworthy and transparent. Any doubts on its credibility will mean demise of that channel for sure and a blow to the industry as whole. The only advice that I can proffer to Barkha Dutt is how ever hard you may try, you take a million people to court the perception is not going to change. The sooner you move on the less hurtful it will be for you. Your continued presence will start to hurt the channel also and then it will ask you to leave before you reach that point take the tough step your ownself.
Rehabilitation is a slow process, once anyone falls from grace it is difficult to return. Public is not in a frame of mind where forgiveness can be expected or requested. Too many wrong have surfaced simultaneously. More heads have to roll we need a clean system. You may just be the first of the many victims from the Media that these scams will claim.
I had to look three times to make sure I was seeing right. Balanced on one knee, in a tiny alley behind the army’s administrative offices, I was peering
through a hole in a corrugated tin sheet. At first glance, all I could see were some leaves.
I looked harder and amidst all the green, there was a hint of black—
it looked like a moustache. “Look again,” said the army colonel,
in a tone that betrayed suppressed excitement. This time, I finally saw. It was a head, the disembodied face of a slain soldier nailed onto a tree. “The boys got it as a gift for the brigade,” said the colonel, softly, but proudly.[Archived at The Hoot]
I welcome a debate and discussion on this…As always, please keep your tone civil, your language polite…no sweeping generalisations please and no personal abuse. Thank you.
On this day 135years ago a true patriot was born. His contributions during the freedom struggle are too well known. It is his service to Independent India which is of far greater importance, the physical contour of India that we hold as our country is largely due to his efforts and bold initiatives. We are dumbfounded and watch in complete bewilderment as a scam a day unfolds before us. Is this our way of taking forward the legacy of our freedom fighter and patriots? Today we pay tribute to the greatest son of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. 31st Oct 1875. Often referred to as the Iron Man of India!
Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar the man who gave us our Constitution. The most vibrant, and dynamic document, for conducting our statecraft! All discourses on India would be incomplete without mentioning Dr.Ambedkars contribution. Yet the current situation begs a question has the constitution failed us or have we failed the constitution?
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India. Who had consciously decided and had taken a vow that in the case of any school, project, or programme started in memory of his father (Motilal Nehru) or his wife, he would not participate in its inauguration. This is noted by Mr. Ramchandra Guha in his article “That family feeling” “That family feeling”. How would he view all the programmes, institutions, streets, Airport and even bridges in this country are being named after his family?
Mrs. Indira Gandhi we remember today on her death anniversary assassinated on this day 31st Oct 1984. She is also referred to as the Iron Lady of that era. Enigmatic for many of us if there were her strengths to admire, equally were her acts which leave us wondering if it was the same person.
This back ground is necessary for all the readers to enable them reach their own conclusion on the topic that is going to be dealt with in this blog. That is the young politicians, ethics and their contribution to the nation and its people.“Young, but definitely not restless” “Young, but definitely not restless” . Democracy and it functioning in our country has been variously described by us for some it is dysfunctional, for others it is imperfect and yet some refer to it as a sham.
This would also highlight how far we have traversed, the extent to which we have digressed from our original path. Why is there so much of cynicism? Have we reduced our democracy to by the masses, of a few, for the privileged! Instead of the original concept! By the people, of the people and for the people!
In her article dated 29th Oct 2010 .“Young, but definitely not restless” Namita Bhandare, begins by saying” Of all the seductions of youth, perhaps the most enticing is its potential for change. We associate youth with transformation and an ability to shake the status quo.” Nothing could be further from truth than this assumption in context of the younger lot in politics.
Today we find a in our politics a system for prevalence of dynastic preponderance, rather than of mass participation of the ordinary Indians. Some of the names mentioned by the author of the article Omar Abdullah Varun Gandhi, Aditya Thackeray,Jitin Prasada, Sachin Pilot, Agatha Sangma, Tejaswi, Milind Deora, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Priya Dutt, Akhilesh Yadav, Naveen Jindal. Though there are notable omissions as well and that is rather surprising Mr. Scindhia and of course the scion of the Gandhi family Mr. Rahul Gandhi, now was this deliberate or is it accidental, since the newspaper and TV channels never fail to remind us of even the most trivial detail as an earth shattering event should the young Mr.Gandhi indulge in. The other day he undertook a train journey from Gorakhpur to Mumbai and it was a new item in all the national dailies. “Rahul rides aam aadmi train” “Rahul rides aam aadmi train” . or another example “Biharis shining, not Bihar, says Rahul” “Biharis shining, not Bihar, says Rahul” . Now lets get down to each young individual mentioned above and the their lineage.
Omar Abdullah of National Conference party is the son of Farookh Abdullah grand son of Sheikh Abdullah a very prominent lineage and legacy, then why has he failed to administer effectively the state of Jammu and Kashmir, is their a serious mismatch between ability and expectations or we have ignored the fact that experience is also an important aspect lack of which could have very serious repercussions for the area entrusted. Yes this is a sign of dynastic rule.
Varun Gandhi, gained notoriety overnight by his hate speech during the last general elections. Son of Sanjay Gandhi grand son of Indira Gandhi Bhartiya Janta Party not assured that he would reach the office of Prime Minister in near future even if his party was to form the Government at the center.
Aditya Thackeray the latest entrant to politics son of Udhhav Thackeray grandson of Bala Saheb Thackarey. Would in all probability head the party Shiv Sena at some point of time or the other as and when his father decides.
Agatha Sangma daughter of P.A Sangma. Tejaswi son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav son of Mulatyam Singh Yadav and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi daughter of M.Karunanidhi of DMK may play a part in their parties are not serious contenders for any high office at the center since the parties they represent are regional and not national.
Jitin Prasada, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Priya Dutt Naveen Jindal,Joytiraditya Scindhia and Mr. Rahul Gandhi. The last 7 names belong to Congress party and none other than Rahul Gandhi has been spoken as Prime Ministerial material not just by ordinary party members but also by Dr. Manmohan Singh.
The public at large has no clue what so ever as to their education qualification, institutions that they studied in, did any of them participate in the college and university level politics. What is the level of their engagement with the constituencies that they represent? How many years have they spent in the service of the nation and how well do they understand the requirements of the people of this country. How many years have they put in with the party before being given tickets to contest elections? These are some of the questions that need answers and we are not getting them.
There have been no statements made by any one of them on any of the burning issues, we have not seen them participate in any debate in the parliament. What is their vision? We are unaware, how will they implement incase they do have a vision for the country? Most of them are in the parliament because of lineage and not because of any other merit. If their mentors are their father or mother then the politics that they have learnt is nothing new but a case of ‘Old wines in new bottles’.
The role of media in all this is rather curious, they first create a halo around these individuals, convert it into a myth, believe it to be gospel and then sell that to us. This instead of informing the public at large about the merits of each of the above named individuals. The focus is on promoting them, this is not going to help the nation, consequences of inexperienced young men and women in position of authority could lead to real and long term damage.
The only thing common among all these young politicians is that they have been parachuted into the political arena due to their lineage and nothing more. They could help themselves in dispelling this perception by interacting and informing the people of this country about themselves, their ideas and vision that they have for their country. Until that happens they would not be able to win the respect of large section of the population. They may win election since they are contesting from well protected fiefdoms nurtured by their parents.
Media must introspect and perform a role that is befitting and not that of public Relations Company trying to promote a product. The more they report on inane items as event of some consequence just because Rahul Gandhi is involved, greater is the resistance from the people and this is borne out by the fact that the negative comment on the newspaper sites far exceed positive comments. Censorship by deleting unpalatable comments is also not going to help their cause. Since it is the same media which is reporting on these events claiming the fundamental right of Freedom of Speech and Expression, denying the very right to its readers.
Fortunately in all this there is the BJP and the Left parties who do not practice dynastic politics. Though media does pick up, selective cases of father and son or daughter from these parties to make its point that all are the same. That is not true because none from these parties are automatically selected as party Presidents or are projected as Prime Ministerial contenders. Which in the case of Congress party is a forgone conclusion, should there be a Gandhi available then there is no other option for the top jobs of the party or the Nation.
In conclusion we are a democracy, let us stay the course and strengthen it let us not deviate and practice Monarchy in the garb of dynastic politics. We owe this to our long gone patriots and all those unknown Indians who willingly sacrificed for this country, during the freedom struggle.
Latest update on 07th Sept 2013
As
expected, the Indian National Congress, which is the single largest party, has
the largest number of MPs—78 out of 208—with a politician as a family member.
Surprisingly, the number of “family politicians” from the second largest party
the Bharatiya Janata Party is comparatively low (about 20%). {LINK}
This is in response to "No spark to light our anger" By Namita Bhandare in Hindustan Times dated 06th Aug.
I just adore these sanctimonious jewels of journalism from over modern day journalists, gloss over the rot in your own house, question the actions of others, and relieve yourself of guilt temporarily. Where are the journalist with integrity and ethics? Media has morphed into PR firms. Media which is a medium of conveying the public concerns to the powers that be, is a one way street these days, these are the mouth pieces of the establishment deployed to silence the detractor and dissenter.
“At what point in our collective history did we lose our capacity for outrage?” The response would have to be it still exists. Moot point is this collective outrage has no visible platform from which it can be expressed; the ostensible fourth pillar of Indian democracy is in tatters, it is corroded to an extreme level, has degenerated into crony journalism.
Post independence this country has witnessed mass protests leading to change of Government twice, first instance was 1977, that is in the aftermath of internal emergency imposed by Mrs. Indira Gandhi 1975-1977, where we had unequivocally placed our enduring faith in democracy. Print media, intrepid journalists and journalism is what engendered, directed the collective outrage of the middle class, we had still not abandoned the pre-independence values completely. This was achieved without a strong opposition in the parliament; Congress had 352 MPs in the 5th Lok Sabha (1971).
Second instance of collective outrage was witnessed in 1989 in the aftermath of the Bofors Scandal. Congress was reduced to 197 from 400 which it commanded in 1984-1985. 1984 witnessed four major events, which have left an indelible mark on our psyche. Operation Blue Star, Assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, unprovoked killing of innocent Indians (Sikhs) on the streets of Delhi and other parts of India, and Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The last 2 events in particular have not seen a closure till date, these wounds are festering.
The political discourse underwent a major change in 1989. The number of political parties increased, politics become more competitive, campaigning more shrill, divisions in the society more acute and irreversible. All this was at the cost of the national integrity; middle class watched this in complete disgust as a mute spectator. Various tools were employed by the political parties to best their opponents. Important issues were ignored, caste, creed, region, religion became the basis to seek and obtaining votes. 1991 was another watershed year, India opened it economy to the world, the euphoria of globalization and the opium of GDP growth became the buzz word, along with this came the era of coalition governments.
Media houses proliferated like the mom and dad stores. Ethics, accountability and all those factors that go into making of a responsible publication or a broadcaster became the first casualty. In their bid to stay ahead and generate profits for the promoters and share holders, newscasters became editors in most of the nascent electronic media. News was soon replaced by opinionated broadcast though the nomenclature was maintained; difference was perceptible to a discerning viewer. Somehow along the way even the nicety of maintaining the façade of neutrality was discarded and a convenient view of the events became the norm for the news 24 X 7.
The talks show became popular, Indians grew addicted to these and surfed the channels to watch the discussions, with the passage of time the novelty worn off, and it became apparent the profound views expressed by the participants more often than not supported the establishment or a particular political party. The in studio audiences were suitably manipulated to achieve the required results. When a discussion on an event which had occurred 25years. The studio audience selected, were aged no more than 30 to 35 years. Those who have no first hand experience of the event could hardly be expected to raise questions which would be uncomfortable for the perpetrators of the event long ago. It was but natural that this audience would raise issue to which they could relate, and this led to digression much to the delight of the party who was let off the hook. Guests with a contrary view point are routinely interrupted and not permitted to complete their point or rebuttal. Corruption flourished since the item on top of the list for promoting the political outfit that had contracted them.
Print media could not be left out of the loop, a similar pattern emerged, with the advent of WWW most publications went online, this provided the middle class an opportunity to vent their feelings and comment on each and every issue. However here again Freedom of Speech and Expression that is guaranteed to us by our constitution is not without fetters. All newspaper without an exception indulge in censorship, either they do not publish comment which violate their line of thought and leaning, or edit the comments suitably. Pasted below is a shining example of what is the current state of affairs with our media houses.
“Court to hear CBI's plea for Amit Shah's custody today - Hindustan Times 3 days ago
Nishit that is not correct my friend Islam does not mean terrorism. Listen yes people are indulging in terrorism in the name of Islam, this no one can deny. Do not paint all Indians who follow Islam as supporters of terror.
No I am not a Muslim I am a Hindu before that an Indian and more importantly I am a human being. I do not like what has been going on in the Media since 2002 I have often asked these questions, yet no one has been able to give the answers every one just runs away.
I will post those question, these are not for you to answer, but you can ask them every time some one raises a finger towards Mr. Modi.
What are the allegations against the Chief Minister of Gujarat?
Did he actively participate in the riots?
Did he instigate the riots?
Did he plan the riots?
Is dereliction of duty the allegation against him?
Who has the evidence?
Does the media, Congress and this section of the society; have the evidence? If yes then why is it not in public domain?
Hope some day some one will give us the answers to these questions. Until then keep asking.
This comment is awaiting approval”
Comment with much venom and vitriolic have been published on this topic, yet the publication for the last three days has not been able to make up its mind if the above comments should be published or not. What is the issue? On the basis of which these comments have not been published has still not been communicated to me.
The Political Editor of this publication does not pass a single opportunity to lampoon a particular political party, regardless of the topic of discussion, this individual cannot seem to rest unless and until he has not had a go at his favorite target. The media needs to seriously introspect and come up with answers to arrest the downward spiral that it is in. Cynicism is fast taking hold of most Indians; we have little or no faith in the electronic and print media. We read the news published backwards, listen to the broadcast with little or no attention.
Listen to your political paymasters but not with both your ears, place one ear to the ground and you shall hear the rumbling that is gathering momentum.
Latest update as on 06th Mar 2014
No channel
has ever shown this video about 2002 riots. Instead have made false
allegations.
One of the biggest disservices done by the self appointed guardians of Muslim community is that they exaggerated, overstated and distorted the events of 2002 beyond recognition solely with a view to serving partisan interests of the Congress party. Their aim has never been to ensure punishment of those guilty of murders and mayhem during the 2002 riots. Their single minded focus has been on targeting Narendra Modi. In the process, they have actually weakened their case by introducing endless lies to their narrative to project Modi as the man who personally ordered and directed mob violence against Muslims.
Just as during the festival of Holi, people take a lot of liberties with each other saying “Bura na maano, Holi hai” (please don’t mind, this is Holi), so also the new mantra of the Congress party is to respond to charges of heinous corruption, murders, mayhem, rapes and instigating riots is: “Bura na mano, we are Secular”. However, the pranks people play on Holi are relatively innocent and the play is with colours. But the Congress is playing a very divisive and bloody game which has life and death consequences for India and its people
Today Modi
has an active team of highly respected Muslims such as Asifa Khan, A.I. Syed,
Mehboob sahib and many other credible persons. The enlightened
Muslims are with the BJP. The Congress on the other hand prefers to
have Muslims who are willing to be rubberstamps. Asifa, Syed sahib and others
worked very hard during the election campaign. But they would not have been
successful without BJP as a whole embracing Muslims and being proactive in
garnering the support of Muslims. All those, who say that he is dictatorial and
authoritarian are simply off the mark. No one who has engaged with him will say
that.
Those who hold this view need to
hear Asifa Khan of Bharuch who joined the BJP a few
weeks before the 2012 election after spending 4 years as the Congress
spokesperson in Gujarat. Asifa is a highly
respected public figure and her joining the BJP created a real
stir. She is respected not just by fellow Muslims but also enjoys high level of
prestige among the Hindus. ( The full text of interview with Asifa will be
posted soon).
Latest update as on 31st March 2013
Three articles are uploaded
with the explicit consent of original author Mrs.Mahdu Kishwar
When some pockets of Gujarat were convulsed by violent riots in February 2002, I too accepted the version presented by the national media as well as our activist friends and assumed that Modi was complicit in the Gujarat riots of 2002. Therefore, I too signed statements against Modi, published articles sent to Manushi indicting Gujarat government. We also raised funds for riot victims. However, I refrained from writing anything under my name because I did not get the time to visit Gujarat and experience and assess the situation first hand. My earlier experience of covering various riots as well as conflict situations in Kashmir and Punjab had taught me that media reports cannot be trusted enough to take a definitive stand on such issues since they are often coloured by the ideological prism used by the writer.Therefore, I refrained from making statements on Gujarat.
MODINAMA. 2 58 train passengers, including women and little children, were charred to death on 27thFebruary 2002 when their compartments were set on fire just as the train moved out of Godhra railway station.
The first incidents of retaliatory mob violence were reported on February 28. They continued in full intensity on 1stand 2ndMarch. By 3rdMarch situation was under control. After that small incidents were engineered in a few pockets but they were put down firmly.
I will deal with the how and why of those incidents in another article. For the moment, I am presenting a very brief overview of the actions taken by Narendra Modi to control the riots.
MODINAMA. 3 If you take the latest figures, the economic position Muslims have now, they never had that before. It is much better than ever before. Here are some revealing indicators.
Zakat is the easiest indicator to judge a Muslim’s wealth profile because you pay zakat on your wealth. zakat is what you pay to the needy. It is essentially used for helping meet some poor man’s basic needs. Suppose this year I paid Rs 2500 zakat, you can immediately extrapolate that I am worth Rs 100,000. Next year if I pay Rs 5000 zakat, it means my wealth has increased from one lakh to two lakhs. Zakat has been continuously increasing in Gujarat year after year. In fact, you will find that 50% of the zakat of madarasas across the country comes from Gujarat and 50% from the rest of India. If Modi had destroyed Muslims, their share of zakat should have fallen. But in the last 10 years, the wealth of Muslims has increased.
