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.
The opening statement in “Bhatt is the truth?”by Vinod Sharma “I’m sure this post will get the goat ofNarendra Modi’s many admirers who visit the site with alarming regularity.” Is a reiteration of my firm belief that there is a child in every adult! The impishness and the puerile approach towards the subject! Arrogated or should one say the divine right to outrage is so explicitly visible.
Monsanto would surely be pleased with their products of Genetically Modified foods; Vinod Sharma seems to have been on an exclusive GM foods diet; hence he does come through as a Genetically Modified commentator on political affairs of this country. I am not too sure if the gentleman should be known as the Political Editor or an Editor who plays politics with Editorials.
If my memory serves me right Mr. Vinod Sharma is the same person who claimed that the CD of Bhushan’s conversation in his possession was authentic, yet it turned out otherwise. What credibility would or should such an individual enjoy? Again is Mr.Sharma not a sitting member of commission?
The current controversy is a result of a statement made by a lawyer representing the Gujarat Government before the Nanawati Commission. The question is did Mr. Sharma make any further investigation or this was not needed since the purpose is not to find the truth or obtain justice for the victims but indulge in politiking which would benefit his political paymaster. Not withstanding Mr. Sharma protestation of being independent unbiased editor, which we swallow with a liberal helping of salt.
Mr. Sharma in tandem with Mr. Vir Singhvi did form a deadly duo for Hindustan Times, for attacking Gujarat and Mr. Narendra Modi if one called Mr. Modi a Mass Murderer the other termed Gujarat riots as pogrom and genocide hoping the publishers of dictionaries world wide would replace existing meaning with their explanations of these words. Alas the Earth still continues to revolve around the Sun.
The flip side is if one was to mention BOFORS or 1984 in the presence of this deadly duo of Hindustan Times, we get to hear oh those were Anti Sikh riot and lumpen elements were involved pray who were those lumpen elements? If this does not deter you, the next is oh this is history is it so? Did this event happen in ancient India? No it was only 27 years ago victims still await justice.
“How on earth can that happen in the country’s best administered state? Is good governance all about foreign capital inflows, shining skyscrapers, road connectivity, electricity and water? All these matter but are of little or no meaning when the system is designed to manipulate justice.” So very emphatically stated Mr. Sharma you have been singing hosannas of the Congress government for just the very things, there is a deafening silence from your end when crucial documents go missing in who let Anderson flee the country post Bhopal gas tragedy, 2G, CWG, Adarsh housing and many other scams.
Now lets us examine your claim of these document being of paramount importance to the process of justice for 2002 Gujarat riots.
1. Have you investigated this issue further?
2. Do you want us to believe given the extremely sensitive nature of these documents the courts and the various commissions have overlooked to requisition them despite 9years having lapsed?
3. Do you want us to believe that such crucial evidence could be ignored even by the Supreme Court which has established an SIT for Gujarat riots?
4. When the Union Government within no time could call for the MOU’s signed during the Vibrant Gujarat meet, would not initiate steps to ensure crucial evidence is preserved?
5. Congress has been singularly unsuccessful in wrenching Gujarat from Mr. Narendra Modi in the last 3 state elections, would it let go off an opportunity to settle scores with the CM?
6. What could not be achieved democratically is being attempted through other means.
It indeed does not make a pretty picture to watch an editor’s struggle there are 115 comments posted so far in response to this blog unable locate any charitable ones about Mr. Vinod Sharma, time facts were recognized, and there is limit beyond which nothing remains palatable or credible. Please do make it point to read this{ article}also Mr. Sharma, change of heart can always happen.
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.
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.
I am sure, there must be many in their mid 50’s who witnessed the mayhem, that was unleashed on the street of Delhi in 1984 where 3000 innocent Sikhs were killed in an orgy of death. The struggle to come to terms with the memory of those 3 days. Analogy of “Earth trembling because a big tree had fallen” as justification. The subversion of judicial system for the last 26years, we have not seen any vociferous support from the media for the victims, or the demand to bring to book the culprits responsible for the genocide, the first and only reported case in India. Instead this incident is being reported as Anti Sikh riots. Just two days ago we were witness to Mr.Sajjan Kumar walking out of the court in Delhi with bail having been granted to him in the 1984 cases. Periodically reports appear in the media and nothing more. The other event that has not received the due coverage is the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmir Valley, which has resulted in the Kashmiri Pandits becoming refugees in their own country. The Indian media has studiously avoided reporting on this issue. Why is it that these two events have not caught the imagination of the media? Were these Indians any lesser or is it that the perpetrators of crimes were not Indians? No most definitely not, the alleged accused are Indians, the Indian state has been a silent spectator if not a covert partner in these crimes.
The question that needs to be addressed is why has the media stayed silent and apathetic to the victims in these two cases? Were the alleged accused not known to the media? Is it a case of selectivity or oversight? Did these cases not reflect the Majority vs Minority aspect? Were these acts committed by communal forces or were these the acts of the secularists? Will justice be delivered in these two cases?
Indian history is replete with accounts of communal riots, since 1947 we have seen unprecedented numbers, majority of these horrendous events have unfolded when the government at the helm of affairs has been from Congress, yet none has received the attention from the media as 2002 Gujarat incident. Even as I write today, there are reports of communal violence in the city of Bareilly. State of Maharastra has witnessed 1 communal riot every 20days over the last 5 years yet there is no sustained campaign against the Chief Minister of the State. If one was to go by the media reports, then other incidents just did not happen. The State of Gujarat seems to have been frozen in 2002, elections and the mandate of the people of Gujarat for Narendra Modi is of little or no consequence.
Mr.Narendra Modi is not just accused of culpability and/or complicity. He has been judged and sentenced by the Indian media. This has been going on since 2002, now it is more than 8 years yet there is no let up by the media, mention the name Modi and the media goes into hyper mode.
CNNIBN continues it relentless tirade, does this channel have any concrete evidence of any crime committed by this individual? Is it an case of extreme prejudice? Why?
NDTV has scheduled yet another exclusive program on 14th instant “Godhra haunts Modi again” Does this channel have any concrete evidence of crimes committed by this individual? Explicit visceral hatred, for a democratically elected, Chief Minister of the State of Gujarat! The question is why?
Indian Express “Demanding answers” what are the reasons for this? Mr. Vir Singhivi has called this man a mass murderer why? Mr.Vinod Sharma of Hindustan Time does not miss an opportunity to take a dig at BJP.
Congress unable to unseat him thru free and fair elections, targets the man at every occasion without fail, overlooking the fact that their own record is worse than what they are accusing Mr. Modi.
Gujarat riots of 2002 are often referred to as Genocide! This is not the true description of the incident. Loss of life was not limited to any one religious community. Why is the media calling the killing of Sikhs in 1984 as “Anti Sikh Riots”? We do not have any record of any anti…… riots in India. What does the media wants, for and from Mr. Narendra Modi. Why this persistence? What are the basis for this sustained demonizing and vilification? Why has the media not placed the evidence in public domain, if indeed evidence is there to support this campaign of theirs? What is it that the Chief Minister of Gujarat did or did not do in 2002?
Why has the State of Gujarat not received the due coverage in the mainstream media in India despite the progress that it has made in the past 8 years! We are fed a regular diet of negative reports about Gujarat. Why? The comments made by Congress and the media about Mr. A. Bachchan on his consenting to promote tourism in the state of Gujarat. Has Gujarat seceded from the Union of India?
This is the single most glaring case of double standards by our media.
These self appointed, secular conscience keepers of India! Do not miss an opportunity to denigrate Mr. Narendra Modi, the reach of the electronic media is tremendous, they have a direct access to our homes 24 X 7, the uninterrupted replay of the events leaves an indelible mark on the young impressionable mind, the society is sharply polarized along, religious, and other basis. The misconceptions with the masses has left very little space for tolerance, any divergence of view with the above media houses or personalities get one labeled as a communalist. These votaries of secularism by their words and actions have put to shame, the most rabid communal individual in our country! The distinction between these self proclaimed secularist and their constant targets “The Communalists” is non existent. Both are striving hard to achieve the common objective of dividing the society permanently.
Incase Mr. Narendra Modi is guilty! The man must be punished for his crimes. What is it that Modi needs to be punished for? Direct participation in mass murder, as an instigator or is it that he did not prevent the event from happening?
