This promises to be fun. Times of India has already begun its verbal acrobatics.
Congress in Gujarat is raising its voice on the Sohrabuddin issue. But, it should explain to the people what should be done to a man who stored illegal arms and ammunition. You tell me, what should have been done to Sohrabuddin?"
The rally echoed with shouts of "Kill him, kill him." Modi responded with: "Well, that is it.
Now wait for those fiery pieces that compare Modi’s election rallies to Hitler’s brainwashing-speeches en route to absolute power.
Tags: Commentary, Indian Politics, Media Watch, Society & Culture, War on Communism
On 12.05.07 rusty says:
Modi is at his antics again. During an election rally, the chief minister justified the killing of Sohrabuddin. What’s worse is those present at the rally echoed his views and hailed him for the brutal act. It’s been 60 years of Independence, but we have still to free ourselves of our regional and religious biases. I don’t know how long will the people of this country continue to allow politicians to divide and rule us. Today it’s Sohrabuddin, tomorrow it could be you and me. We need to get out of our closeted mindset and judge leaders only on the basis of progress and development.
On 12.06.07 some_one says:
mr/ms. rusty, i guess your name talks about the state of your brain; you seem to have fallen out of the habit of using it.
sohrabuddin was a terrorist. And if we are “divided” from terrorists, and “biased” against them, it should be something to rejoice about.
The country has no protective law like POTA to contain and control and fight terrorism. is it any surprise we have to resort to such measures to make sure terrorists dont get the better of us?
and… what you say… that it could be you or me next - it was already in play during the Emergency. If you want to avoid such contingencies, campaign for POTA, campaign for uniform civil code.
On 12.06.07 Wanderer says:
I agree with some_one. NDTV and CNN-IBN have begun their smear campaigns. I only wish that the BJP would send someone better than the fumbling Prakash Javdekar to counter that obnoxious Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Send Arun Jaitley.
rusty
you said
We need to get out of our closeted mindset and judge leaders only on the basis of progress and development.
Even then Modi wins.
On 12.06.07 Eye For India says:
People get the leaders they deserve.
On 12.06.07 Palahalli says:
“Due Process” or rather the lack of it in some cases, does not seem to bother a large number of folks these days.
There is a difference between some of us (laymen/voters) campaigning for tougher laws and our leaders speaking “encouragingly (?)” of acts of (anti)legal tresspass. It is they…these very leaders, who should be bringing these/such laws into effect, if they can/could.
What Modi saluted, is pure vigilanteism.
That is wrong but will have its takers just like “Death Wish” Charles Bronson had his fan following.
On 12.06.07 B Shantanu says:
Here is another Sandeep:
“Nation speechless after Modi’s hate speech”
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/nation-speechless-after-modis-hate-speech/53682-3.html?xml
Not quite an editorial but in a similar vein.
On 12.06.07 socal says:
The Marxist mayhem in Nandigram put a spanner in the psec works for a while, but the journos’ are once again brandishing their knives. The media is menacingly being driven by vendetta.
Let’s face it, the secularist media excels at yapping about communal/secularism and knows no better. It’s favorite horse, the Congress party, doesn’t have any issue apart from rehashing the media. And the secularist media still hasn’t gotten over the serious drubbing it received in 2002. Their only option is to keep revisiting issues that they can talk about. In a democratic polity, responding with recriminations is par for the course, which is what Modi did. After Sonia dumbed down the level of political discourse with a cheap personal smear directed at Modi, he or anyone else is bound to respond. Their is no segueing for her adversary because of Sonia’s position in the ruling party. But the shrewd media has found it suitable to fault only Modi, just as expected.
Now let’s see how motivated a response the media has delivered, through some ham handed mistranslation of course. First, it has gone ballistic over Modi’s Sohrabuddin observation. If you see the tape, or flash clip, it becomes apparent that Modi is asking what a person who has connections with Pakistan; is caught with arms and ammunition; is a wanted criminal deserves? A fair question. The crowd then responds with ‘Maru Nathi,’ implying that he deserves death. To which Modi responds that that’s what he (Sohrabuddin) got. Any group of sane people will echo this sentiment when responding to a rapists’ end, or that of a preadtor, or a child molester, or a drug trafficker. And such reaction conveys wider public concern not a chant for vigilantism. Terming it vigilantism is not just folly but a recipe for disaster. If you discourage people from voicing security concerns you obviously are courting disaster.
The court has no locus standi in this simple issue, no matter how much the media clamors for its intervention. Any case merely based on this simple public conversation will simply collapse even at the petition level.
Now, is talking about terrorism or terrorists communal? Has it not been the secular refrain that one should decouple his/her group identity when an individual is charged? Is the secular media not guilty of violating its own cannon by highlighting Sohrabuddin’s communal identity when it shouldn’t?
Much a do about nothing, if you ask me. But then again, just as leaders, people get the media they deserve.
On 12.27.07 Joe Stalin says:
I wonder if they have the same sense of outrage when a real hate speech comes from AhMADineJIHAD -kill the jews or Imam Bukhari we’ll take this land back from the hindus or other some niceties from the religion of peace’s esteemed leaders…
Il Duce Sonia calls others fascist -delicious irony