The media machine with the full backing of the secular establishment is furiously spitting in the hope of running away. The Outlook front page is dripping with hate-everything-Hindu articles. It has fittingly roped in that house nigger par excellence, Pankaj Mishra to idyllically speculate on Kashmir and a Modi-ruled India. And a long-buried Rajinder Puri (who?) who asks some “tough” questions to the Nanavati Commission. As is also the Outlook-regular, Saba Naqvi who shames our consciences by asking why the Indian state is “quick to nail minority offences but myopic to Sangh transgressions?” He also thunders in support of the terrorists..err..blames the “populist media” which leads the state to bay for the blood of the terrorists. The crest jewel comes from Smita Gupta who wants to redefine the word “terrorist.” The blurb to her piece says Just who is a terrorist? Definitions change when it comes to the Hindutva extreme.
Outlook, you can argue is a secular-fundamentalist rag, or the pall-bearer of secularism. Other media folks are no better.
The Hindustan Times, which was cold-shouldered by the Congress party about two years ago doesn’t want to be left out. It hopes to level the pitch by fishing out the amazing testimony of exactly one person. Read it if you must, but here’s the gist: terrorists are terrorists because the Indian state is the Indian state. I didn’t check the other papers but past experience says this will be the general drone of “analysis.”
Narendra Modi-absolvement in this hour of the year is perhaps the worst tiding to ever hit the “secular forces.” The 6-year-long media-political campaign against Modi has turned in Modi’s favour rather dramatically and at the most inopportune moment. Even an engineered petition to stop the Nanavati report from becoming public proved futile, thanks to the Supreme Court. The entire secular spectrum is thus hurriedly wiping the eggshells off its face. The aforementioned pieces are festinated exercises in damage control.
The Nanavati panel has not released the entire report–we only have the first part, which clearly absolves Narendra Modi. While it is too much to expect an apology from the political class, let’s turn to what India’s top bloggers and journalists say. We meet silence. Those that were quick to thunder, revile, mock, and in general pour scorn over Modi at every turn are now speechless. Do they have the courage to at least say, we were hasty, we got carried away in the general media hysteria? Those that talk about understanding nuances, or those that repeatedly call for justice for “murdered Indians.”
Here is the full text (downloadable PDF) of the Nanavati report.
I abhor the kind of ‘analysis’ and ‘tough questions’ that our magazines and news channels go into. Their ‘analysis’ is analysis goes only so far as to do some Hindu-bashing.
BUT I’m seriously at pains to understand why there isnt a single media house that can speak for the majority. whats exactly with POST-Godhra all the time?? Why not Godhra? why not ‘analyse’ the train fire? why not ask ‘tough questions’ to eye witnesses. Why does the Hindu class always have to be at the receiving end by the media? Sandeep, what IS exactly the motivation for our 24×7 news channels to be fountainheads of psuedosecularism? I’m sure you have an answer. I’m all ears.
Sandeep ‘Outlook’ and their cohorts are engaged in the customary breast beating. These guys are questioning the timing of the report. None of them questioned the ‘timing’ of Laloo tailor made report of Banerjee Committee just before the Bihar Assembly election (round 1).
I am amazed at the audacity of these secular jihadis who keep on refering to Banerjee Committee as Banerjee commission!
Now as far as Outlook is concerned, I am not surprised and of late read it for some sadistically comic pleasure (now do not ask me what it is, but that is how I feel
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I have overheard a news doing round : Outlook is up for sale, how far it is correct…ummm about 80%.
And yes some thing personal about this shit head smita gupta.
If she happens to read this,
Ms. gupta you are considerately advised to stay away from DD News Press Review – where you pop up more often than not – assaulting our senses with your in coherent English and stupidly idiotic comments.
Spare us please… or else you will be solely blamed by DD News Press Review Team for loosing a committed watcher since long.
PI.
Most of the psec colummnists that get featured in these “magazines” (which otherwise would not even qualify for toilet paper) have favors to curry from the political bosses. Taking them literally for everything makes no sense.
Many a times, I have felt frustrated about not being able to retort to their point of view. It isn’t about balanced coverage. However, I feel that in an election year Outlook is merely licking the backsides of powers that be, in the hope of getting concessions otherwise.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for Modi to lead the country; everyone is talking about the visible transformation of Gujarat; about promises made and kept with all round development. There has to be something about the person re elected with a huge majority for the second term indeed.