If you had any doubt over the ideological inclinations of the self-confessed pseudo secularist, Vinod Mehta, abandon them now. Read this conclusive piece.
This column is not being written to defend Arjun Singh, nor the new quota regime, nor any formula/mechanism to implement reservations. That debate has been so polarised and distorted that any intervention which does not take one or the other side is destined to fall on deaf ears. No. My purpose is to point out that the passion-charged street power and the virulent rhetoric against reservations should be seen as part of a larger, disturbing pattern. India’s smug, selfish, self-centred, satiated middle class, fattened on the fruits of the booming economy, is positively hostile to any policy which sets out to empower the poor.
And these people are held as “respected, opinion-shapers.”
Tags: Indian Politics, Media Watch, Pseudo Secularism Hall of Shame, Society & Culture, War on Communism
On 05.29.06 Nanda Kishore says:
Of course, it’s all the middle class’s fault. The noveau rich is another phrase that is being bandied about these types. If Mehta’s heart bleeds so much for the poor, and if he believes in social justice, why doesn’t he distribute some of his profits among the poor? Meanwhile disastrous economic policies, the very root of the problem, are perpetuated under such excuses. Vinod Mehta is truly an SOB.
On 05.29.06 Nanda Kishore says:
Of course, it’s all the middle class’s fault. The noveau rich is another phrase that is being bandied about by these types. That many of these so called noveau rich had to work their arses off their whole lives matters little to the propagandists. Many in the IT sector, to take one example, have actually come from the erstwhile lower middle classes and from the hinterlands.
If Mehta’s heart bleeds so much for the poor, and if he believes in this kind of social justice, why doesn’t he distribute some of his profits among the poor? Meanwhile disastrous economic policies, the very root of the problem, are perpetuated under such excuses. Vinod Mehta is truly an SOB.
On 05.29.06 Nanda Kishore says:
Apologise for the duplicate comment.
On 05.30.06 Alka says:
PLEASE, publish an article THIS at your blog.It might help them. Or you might coin an idea to help them.
On 05.30.06 Matt says:
How come we anti-national chritians and upper caste Hindus both dont want reservation for OBCs etc? Or are upper caste Hindus too anti-national for their protesting quotas?
The complicated life of the NRI right winger!
On 05.30.06 ankan says:
exactly my thoughts!
On 05.30.06 Matt says:
And this is from Outlookindia —
“Reacting to the Pope’s message last week, vhp president Ashok Singhal offered to join forces with the church to fight the jehadis.”
We conveters and you convertees seem to be in the same boat!
On 05.31.06 itch says:
Vinod Mehta himself belongs to the ” smug, selfish, self-centred, satiated middle class, fattened on the fruits of the booming economy,” types. His riches and wealth go far beyond what is deemed to be appropriate for an editor.
Only an intellectually bankrupt like him could have made such a comment. I sometimes feel his accusations come from the inferiority complex that he could not clear his engineering entrance.
Anyway most journalists belong to the “Art” kinds where reservation is not significant. They don’t care for reservations much. Look at the pro-reservation janata and you would realise what i mean.
Today Pra-fool Bidwai in rediff.com came up with a theory that all this anti-quota steer is “Event managed” by capitalist. Bidwai is flying kite, but sooner than later this theory will be forced on to hapless Indians.
I feel the middle class Indian is like that oh-so-helpless-victim of the old Hindi movies who used to be raped by Ranjit [The government in this case]. Only in this case Ranjit rapes repeatedly. And all that the middle class Indian can do is protest meekly and finally surrender to fate.
Can you imagine Sonia,Arjun,Mulayam,Karunaniddhi drinking and lecherously laughly their way to glory after demolishing step by step the only entity in the country capable of questioning them? The Indian middle class, i.e.
On 05.31.06 Nitin says:
What I find most disturbing is how a ‘responsible’ columnist can make a generalisation that covers India’s famous 200 million (or is it 300 million now?).
On 06.01.06 Sandeep says:
Nitin,
>>What I find most disturbing is how a ‘responsible’ columnist can make a generalisation
That’s right: remember Julius Caesar… and so they’re all honourable men… That’s the way things are.