Economic rebound will force BJP towards aggressive Hindutva….

The Congress is in overdrive, with policy activism replacing policy paralysis. Over the past few months, the focus of the Chidambaram led Finance Ministry and the PM has been on clearing long-pending projects, especially in the infrastructure sector. The other focus has been on reforms in the FDI policy. This has started yielding results, with FDI rising smartly. The stock markets are at a high and the rupee has recovered much of its losses. As economic gloom yields to at least some cheer, the BJP is fast losing one of its poll planks – economic “mess” as it calls it – forcing it to gravitate more and more towards that other plank – Hindutva. Aggressive hindutva to be precise.

The Cabinet Committee on Investments has given the green signal to projects with an investment potential of more than Rs 5 lac crores. Fuel linkages between Coal India and near-completion power plants should ensure that power production increases in the near future. FDI reforms in the aviation sector has resulted in three deals being announced in recent months – the Jet-Etihad, Tata-Air Asia and today, the Tata-SIA ones. FIIs have pumped in money yet again into the Indian stock markets after pulling out money for three months between June and August. Exports are growing at 10%+ and are expected to continue the pace in the coming months. Core inflation – which excludes food and fuel – is down to sub-3% levels, making this a less worrisome issue for new RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan. And while on Rajan, its clear how badly managed RBI had become towards the end of Subba Rao’s tenure – see my various posts on this subject. If Rajan today announces even a slight slant towards growth (either a lower repo rate, or a cut in CRR or SLR as he has already indicated), then the economic cheer will be back in full swing. Only those strongly aligned with the BJP will still see gloom anywhere on the economic horizon! The crisis isn’t over, but the moves made are decisive.

On the other hand, Modi’s much touted development model is coming under increased attacks. In just the last few days, several figures have emerged which show that Gujarat’s story is hardly remarkable – it is, but hardly of the order that Modi has publicized it to be. Other data indicates yet again how much stronger the UPA rule has been compared to the NDA period. Sample this: FDI inflow during NDA’s six years rule was some $24 billion. In the UPA’s 9 years, some $222 billion (source: ET, September 13^th, article by Abheek Barman). And this: Despite Modi’s much-hyped Vibrant Gujarat, actual FDI inflows into Gujarat were just some $0.5 billion v/s some $8 billion in Maharashtra in 2012-13. Share of Gujarat? 2.38% v/s 40% for Maharashtra. Gujarat was placed sixth in the list, just ahead of…..guess what…..communist West Bengal (source: http://tinyurl.com/bn4afwg). Total FDI into Gujarat since 2003-4, a mere $7 billion compared to Maharashtra’s $46 billion and Delhi’s $26 billion. Here’s more: As per former World Banker Salman Anees Soz (ya,ya, I know what the BJP will say given his name), Investment rate during NDA rule was 25.2% of GDP; during UPA rule 35.5%. Fiscal deficit during NDA rule was 5.5%, UPA 4.6%. Average GDP growth rate during NDA rule 6%, under UPA rule (despite 2008 crisis) 8%. Per-capita income has risen from Rs 21,729 to Rs 68,747 crores between the NDA and UPA rules (that’s 13.5% per annum on nominal basis – around 7% on real basis – highest anywhere in the world). Some 140 million people have been taken out of poverty. Etc etc etc.

This is why Modi’s strategy has changed – less in speech but more in actual action – in the last few months. He no longer reels off fake statistics, that used to be OK when he was a mere CM. Modi’s development plank had only one objective – to take the discussion away from 2002. That worked. Today, many intelligent upper class Indians are willing to condone Modi’s 2002 record, and his continuing anti-minority bias, only because of his so called development record. But Modi knows that isn’t cutting much ice any longer.

That is why Modi is trying to woo the Muslims – something that looks so funny really. It’s like Hitler asking the Jews to vote for him! On the other hand, in terms of actual on-ground action, the BJP’s main political plank has shifted decidedly towards aggressive Hindutva. The Muzaffarnagar riots prove how the strategy can help the party. Unsurprisingly, the max number of politicians named there belong the BJP. Likewise, in Bihar, the JD(U) has accused the BJP for the riots that took place recently in Nawada. The BJP’s lame defence: it was failure of administration. Are we to believe that the same administration that the BJP claimed was so effective for so many years failed in just 2 months of the alliance breaking? And what about the 84 kosi yatra? Why was it done a second time during the year, and that too only around the districts of Ayodhya? And why was Amit Shah in particular sent to UP? The pursuit of Hindutva is aggressive and muscular. The same muscular style is demonstrated in statements – illiterate ones really – by Modi about our neighboring countries. The intention? Create a strong image for Modi of being a nationalist. Hindu nationalist, mind you.

The strategy is clear. Modi wants to present a personal image of having changed; of including Muslims in his fold. But behind the scenes, it’s a different game entirely. And its understandable. The BJP has tried everything it could during 2004 and 2009. If it went with the same plan in 2014 – and again under Advani – then there was little hope to capture power. Hence the RSS’s favorite strategy. Divide and rule. Hence Modi, and not Advani.

The real truth is that the BJP has not only become a one-man party (my post of 2 days back), but also a party with a single-point agenda. Make no mistake, its Hindutva all the way. Ram Jethmalani defending Asaram is no mistake. It is to reassure Hindus (those at the fringe who prefer aggressive Hindutva) that they are safe under BJP rule. And only under BJP rule. This strategy will be played more aggressively going forward, especially as the development plank fails. Hindutva will drown out everything. Wait and watch….

Look who’s recruiting whom: Congress goes for Nilekani, BJP for Yeddy

Media reports confirm what has been known to be a possibility for long. That Yeddy is desperate to return back to the BJP, and the BJP is desperate to take him back. Both need each other badly, corruption or no corruption. In the meantime, the Congress is mulling putting Nandan Nilekani, the poster boy of India’s IT industry, and the genius who conceived and quickly implemented the world’s biggest biometric identification project, as its candidate from Bangalore. Shows what kind of people both parties are attracting.

The story around Yeddy also shows us something more about Narendra Modi’s thinking and his political strategy. The one thing that we know for sure is that he has raised the Hindutva pitch. Maybe the BJP is not directly involved in Muzaffarnagar, there surely looks like something’s going on there. The maximum number of politicians charged for the incidents there belong to the BJP. The benefit of the polarization in that region goes mostly to the BJP. Modi’s Hindutva strategy is well known; after all, he was chosen for the PM’s nomination primarily by the RSS. After all, that’s why he sent Amit Shah there.

Now we also have an insight into what else Modi’s beliefs are. By inducting Yeddy, Modi is sending the signal that political clout matters more than corruption. When corruption in Karnataka first became a big deal, the BJP hemmed and hawed over Yeddy. When it finally removed him, under massive pressure from the media, it tried to make a big deal of it, claiming that it had “zero tolerance” towards corruption. Now, if Yeddy is welcomed back to the party, the tables would be turned over. Corruption would not be a reason for the party not to welcome someone in. Votes matter more than the corruption record of the person. So does it mean that the BJP is officially distancing itself from the corruption plank?

It would look so, considering that Modi has never really believed in fighting corruption. It’s not that he doesn’t cherish the “clean” image his PR machinery has built for him, but he has a different way to achieve that image. By simply not allowing a Lok Ayukta to come up in his state for more than a decade. Simple! No Lok Ayukta, no corruption complaints. Clean image. Do what you want to do with land, crony capitalism, fudged figures…..no one needs to know.

We first came to know that corruption was a mere political rhetoric for the BJP when it first pretended to support Anna and later back-stabbed him, over the issue of including Lok Ayuktas within the Lokpal Bill. All that was just political opportunism. Those days, the camera was focused on Anna, and the BJP wanted to be seen on his right side. The moment Anna was out of favor, the party turned over.

Look now at the Congress’s move to induct Nandan Nilekani. Before Nilekani, there was Shashi Tharoor, a professional diplomat who truly represents the kind of India that I personally feel proud of – educated, cultured, liberal. Nilekani makes it two of the same kind. He is a successful professional, who made India proud, by making it the hub of the world’s outsourcing and IT business. He is progressive, going by his preference for technology-based solutions to age-old problems. He believes in inclusive growth, going by the extensive philanthropy work he and his wife do. And he is liberal without doubt. Nilekani adds to the Congress’s image of being a magnet for such people. And Nilekani benefits from the Congress’s image of being a liberal, progressive, caring party.

What is interesting is that Rahul Gandhi is credited with getting Nilekani in. Rahul’s advantage in being young, in comparison to a much older Modi, is becoming visible here. Equally, Rahul’s inexperience in running a government has its advantages, as he is not bogged down by the grim realities of that. He is free to dream. Dream that one day, the likes of Nilekani and Tharoor will play a more important role in building modern India.

Yeddy and Nilekani both come from Karnataka, and yet the two couldn’t be more apart. Yeddy may have a higher chance of winning (with the BJP’s support) than Nilekani, but that doesn’t matter. The import of who supports whom and who inducts whom goes far beyond Karnataka. It speaks volumes of how the two parties function.

The real truth is that inducting Yeddy back will prove that the BJP cares little for corruption. Inducting Nilekani shows that Rahul wants to build a party of committed professionals. Apart from secularism and inclusive growth, this is another point of difference opening up between the two main parties….

BJP now a one-man show….Modi, Modi, Modi, all the way

With the ascent of Modi to the top of the BJP hierarchy, its shocking how much of a one-man show the party has become. Seasoned senior leaders have been given the go-by, with the exhortation that the new generation has taken over. Modi may well enjoy the glory for now, for it serves his interests very well. But the shrinkage in the leadership pool of the principal opposition party should be a matter of concern in a democracy. Just look at how Modi’s elevation has done that:

First, Modi’s elevation has come in a most un-gainly way, with four out of the top five BJP leaders being cut-up with the act. There is “rusted iron-man” Advani of course, who went public with his disenchantment. Then there is “one step forward, two backwards” Sushma Swaraj, leader of the opposition (she said she wouldn’t be able to function in that role if Modi was made PM nominee; what will she do now?), who did her typical two steps back move towards the end. And “oppose always, because we are the opposition” Yashwant Sinha, who is hardly visible or audible these days. And then there is the true blue…..no “truly saffron”, Murli Manohar Joshi, who has quietly decided to give up his opposition, and possibly his Lok Sabha seat in Varanasi to Modi. Now, the result of all this has been that all these stalwarts are out of the picture. Expect them to keep a low profile, hardly be the feisty fighters that they otherwise are. The brigade of the light-weights, the Ravi Shankar Prasads, the Venkaiah Naidu’s, the Nitin Gadkari’s and the Rajnath Singh’s (I call him a lightweight in spite of him being the party Pres) has taken over the mantle from the stalwarts. For Modi is comfortable with the lightweights! And, since Modi is also the party’s campaign chief, the entire exercise is being run by him. Modi has taken full advantage of this, and appointed his close flunkey of “Sohrabuddin and Vanzara” fame, Amit Shah in UP. This is the “I, me, myself” trait that Modi has got best known for!

Second, look at the party’s dependence on Modi. Even the national campaign for 2014 was kick-started on Modi’s birthday! This is bizarre, considering that the elections are still at least 8 months away, and any date could have been chosen. But the party, full of servile leaders as it is now, chose to fete Modi by this act, as if he were some dead and gone freedom fighter! Modi of course, the humble man that he is, acquiesced!

Third, look at the political strategy of the BJP now that Modi has become Lord Almighty. The main plank is Hindutva of course, set by the RSS, but championed by Modi. His “I am a Hindu nationalist” posters, the “burqa” and “puppy” remarks, are all developed around Hindutva with Modi in the center. The secondary poll plank is development. The model? Gujarat! Who cares about the success achieved by MP, Chhatisgarh and…..oops, there are no other states ruled by the BJP! Equally, who cares if the data is so bizarrely wrong that it has earned him the sobriquet #feku! And of course, who cares about esoteric things like HDI! The biggest industrialists give him a salute and that’s enough. Then the poll plank of governance and decision making. Again, the sole exemplar of this is Modi! Who cares that a solid majority in Gujarat allows him to take decisions, and the Congress doesn’t disrupt the assembly there! Then take alliances. Again, it is Modi personally appealing to Jayalalitha (his “friend”), Chandrababu Naidu in AP, Raj Thackeray in Maharashtra and of course, Yeddy in Karnataka…..everything is led by Modi, the super-hero! The party Pres will just affix his signature where required! The Parliamentary Board – oh that can be managed! When it comes to commenting on important Congress laws like the Food Security Bill, it is Modi whose comments sound the loudest. On India’s relations with neighbors, again, it is only Modi who has the wisdom to opine. Why, even the BJP’s minority outreach program is fronted by the one and only Modi (so what if he is suspected to be a Hindu Hriday Samrat by the minority community!). Modi decides when to shun a skull cap, and when to order people to wear them at his rally. Modi decides to charge Rs 5 as entry fee, and to change that the next time. It is Modi all the way!

Fourth, look at our media. It appears that the only leader traveling the country (only cities, mind you!) is Narendra Modi. TV channels gave full-speech coverage on Sunday when Modi spoke in Rajasthan. In contrast, Rahul’s speech in Rajasthan a day later got just a minor mention on TV. As far as media is concerned, Modi is the Anna of 2011. There is saturation coverage of Modi. But Modi should not forget the whims of media. He should only remember the fate that awaited poor Anna once media had wrung him dry. Media dropped Anna like he was a pariah. Today, one hardly remembers Anna or his long fast. Modi’s fate could likely go the same way. Media loves Modi today, but give it a little time, and in spite of Modi’s astute PR skills, he could well become an equal pariah one day.

Fifth, look at the opposition to the BJP. Today, the biggest movement has suddenly transformed from anti-Congressism to anti-BJPism. This is amazing, and has gone mostly unnoticed. This suits the Congress just fine, giving it time to cover lost ground. Has anyone noticed how the Cabinet Committee on Investments (CCI) has been been clearing projects at a pace faster than Chris Gayle’s on his best day out in cricket?! The Congress will find itself to be the darling of the smaller parties, with both RJD and JD(U) in Bihar, Jagan and TRS in AP, SP and BSP in UP vying for a deal with it. Equally, the BJP has been reduced to just 2 allies, with a possibility of AIADMK joining in later. But surely BJP remembers its experience with this whimsical Southern sultress from its earlier stint!

This is way beyond a Presidential form of election. Modi is Romney and Obama folded into one. He is Putin, Merkel, Cameron and Hollande all bound into one. He is the combination of Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth and Sylvester Stallone multiplied by ten. He is God! Blessed is India that a new avatar of God has descended on earth! China, Pakistan, US, Europe….beware! G8 will soon be replaced with the G1. Surely this is the golden era for India!

The real truth is that the BJP was always, by geographic spread, a regional party with a presence in the West, and part of the North. Now it has shrunk further and become a one-leader party. Looks like the BJP has found its manna from the skies…..and its magic mantra!

BJP’s deceit on Muzaffarnagar….

The PM visited Muzaffarngar yesterday along with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. The BJP promptly called it “secular” tourism. The BJP is good at wisecracks, but if it were to pause and look back at its repeated double-speak and deceit on Muzaffarnagar, it would be shocked. Here are some things that the BJP may want to think about:

What happened to Federalism: Forever, the BJP has argued that law and order is a state subject, and the center must do nothing to enter this domain. In fact, this argument has been used repeatedly to scuttle the creation of the NCTC, and god forbid, if another terrorist attack happens, which could have been prevented had the NCTC been there, then the BJP must be held responsible for it. The center was sensitive about the concept of federalism even when fake encounters were happening in Gujarat. It was only when the courts decided to move the cases outside the state, when Gujarat’s fake façade of federalism was shattered.

So why does the BJP suddenly blame the Congress for the Muzaffarnagar riots? The center had warned 11 states including UP about a possible communal incidents. Isn’t it the UP government’s fault that it did nothing with the information? But one BJP leader screamed that the Center should have sent forces earlier. If I remember right, the center sent forces as soon as the state asked for them. It’s sending even more forces now. As if this was not enough, the party President Rajnath Singh demanded that the Congress sack the UP government and impose President’s rule. Impose President’s rule? Maybe yes, but how does this fly in the face of the BJP’s federalism argument?

Every issue, every point of view, of the BJP smacks of opportunism and nothing else. Federalism was a bogey that was well known since earlier; its only becoming more clear with every passing day.

Abusing the PM’s visit: The PM, Sonia and Rahul went to Muzaffarnagar after the situation had calmed down. They didn’t rush there the day the violence broke, like Ravi Shankar Prasad did (thank god he was denied permission, or the toll could have been higher). Or like Aruj Jaitley did when the Kishtwar riots broke. The PM was mindful of the fact that the state government needed time to get the situation under control. Has the BJP ever been this mindful? Besides, if the PM had not gone, wouldn’t the same BJP have chided the Congress for being insensitive?

In any case, what did the PM say, apart from the usual reassuring statements, that got the BJP to call his trip secular tourism? “Efforts will be made to ensure the strictest action be taken against those behind the communal violence” and “people behind such ghastly violence would be punished and all help extended to the UP government” are the kind of statements a PM is expected to make under such circumstances. But maybe the BJP doesn’t understand decency too much.

Uttering blatant lies on TV: Last night (on NDTV), the BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi had to beat a hasty retreat after she tried to lie about the BJP MLAs who had been named in the FIRs. She said they had only been named for violating prohibitory orders, not for inciting violence. She would have got away (as happens often on TV), had the SP’s representative Gaurav Bhatia, not pointed out that the charges included giving a provocative speech at the Mahapanchayat, and of sharing an inflammatory video. As soon as she was corrected, Lekhi quickly moved on to another argument. Had she not been caught, she would have gotten away. Why does the BJP conduct itself in such a manner?

Unashamedly communal: As is its wont, the BJP is being unashamedly communal about the entire episode. Rather than trying to calm the situation, the BJP is fanning trouble. As per media reports, the party was planning a rally by Narendra Modi in Muzaffarnagar. Now, if this isn’t plain, naked, dirty communal politics, what is? We know the only think Modi can speak about is aggressive Hinduism and Muslim bashing. His mere presence will charge the atmosphere a few notches higher.

The BJP had also planned a “swabhimaan” rally with Advani and the abusive Varun Gandhi. It was canceled because the state didn’t give permission, and perhaps because of all the tension around Advani’s opposition to Modi. But why was it called Swabhimaan (self respect) at all? Whose swabhimaan? Why swabhimaan?

But forget even this. Just look at Subramaniam Swamy’s tweet and decide for yourself if this is acceptable from a national party? “Did TDK (that’s Subramaniam Swamy’s way of referring to/abusing Sonia Gandhi) visit in Muzaffarnagar only Muslim riot affected houses? That’s what Jats tell me” can only be called evil. Incidentally, this also happens to be a lie, but that’s seldom mattered to the BJP.

For the BJP, any communal tension at this point of time is a god-sent. It pushes the party’s Hindutva agenda. It helps position Narendra Modi with the Hindus. It makes Hindus worry about their religion, and makes them bury other differences and aggregate around religion (as happened after the Babri demolition). Media reports from UP indicate that the biggest loser in this conflagration could be the RLD, with Jats likely to migrate to the BJP (exactly what the BJP wanted). By sending Amit Shah to UP, this is what the whole plan was, wasn’t it? So while it cannot be proved the BJP was involved in the Muzaffarnagar riots, the beneficiary of the riots is clearly the BJP. In the past, the BJP has used this “whoever benefits, must be involved” logic to attack the Congress….so why should the same not apply to it now?

The real truth is that the BJP’s actions post-Muzaffarnagar are in line with its election strategy. Escalate communal tensions, make fiery speeches, attack everyone, and make Hindutva the core issue. If this is the path the BJP is taking to get to the 272 mark, that speaks volumes about its fundamental character. It does indeed have the RSS’s genes….

Breaking now! Another massive likely #feku story!

I got this whatsapp message this morning “Narendra Modi has broken the record for the most searched person on Google. Modi entered the record book after his name received maximum number of search on Google in a day. Around 100 crore people searched the keyword Narendra Modi on search engine giant Google. Earlier this record was named after US President Barack Obama. During the US Presidential elections, Barack Obama received 98.77 lac number of search in a single day”. And of course it ended with the punch line “Do you still doubt his charsiam and popularity…..pappu is eons behind him!!”. Do note the multiple exclamation marks, surely added by the Modi-fan who sent me the text!

The first thing I did was search…..what else….Google itself! After watching a Zee TV video over youtube and a story in India Today online, I figured out that the news was most likely bogus. The India Today story titled “Narendra Modi pips Obama to become most searched person on Google” gave a hint of that when it credited unnamed “reports” as its source. Now anyone in the business of journalism knows that when the source is unnamed (another common trick: as per party insiders who didn’t want to be named!), it is most likely suspect. In this case, the fake nature of this news item stands out because it fails even basic scrutiny. The exaggeration is so enormous that it almost looks silly!

Either because the propagandist wanted to show Modi as being “a really, really tall leader”, or maybe even “a leader of the world” (!), or because of his poor grip on numbers, the fake news is embarrassing in its proportion, much like the earlier stories that earned Modi the sobriquet “feku” over social media. In his zest to show Modi’s global stature, the search number hasn’t just “inched ahead” of Obama, it has gone ahead by more than 100 times! Even Rajnikant fans must be really offended now! And to imagine that Modi was reaching out to this icon just a few days back!

There is a strong sense of déjà vu here. Just a few weeks back, Modi had said “16% of China’s GDP is spent on education in that country”. Turned out that the real number was a fraction of that! Also turned out that in reality, the Congress had spent more on education than the NDA government before had done! What’s worse, the media caught it. Suddenly, his trolls had to become creative in defending the goof up. Someone lied by quoting some obscure and/or non-existing Chinese website; someone else gave some creative explanation of “growth over last year” being 16%, not the % of GDP, and the media misquoting Modi! I have a feeling this Google story will go the same way!

In a typically stinky way that Indian media is getting famous for, responsible media outlets like India Today, Dainik Bhaskar, Jagran and Zee News “amplified” this news story, possibly without verifying it. Zee News and Dainik Bhaskar did not even bother to mention any source, unlike India Today which at least said “reports”. Zee News flashed the zingy slogan “Obama ko di maat” or “Obama defeated”! Jagran went a step further of the rest, and made the figure 178 crores (or maybe they got the story a few hours late, and the search number had surged)! It also adds “Modi’s popularity has been rising after his 3^rd election”. Popularity, my foot! Coming back to the stink, source verification is the first step practiced in journalism. Did someone verify with Google? Did someone at least once question the possibility of the 100x number? But then don’t we know how Indian media works. My story yesterday about prominent journalists being colored was in the same context.

Here’s the typical “pattern” that will unfold now. There will be no statement from Modi himself on his remarkable feat! He will remain silent. The tall leader is so humble he doesn’t comment on such small small achievements! Actually, it’s a very nice way to avoid the embarassment when the truth finally comes out. He can simply disown it. In the meantime, his objective would have been served.

Some of the other organizations that amplified the message include an outfit called pardaphash (???), Saharasamay (which also does not mention the source), a curious site called www.defence.pk (which refuses to open!) and www.inagist.com (which only leads you to the India Today link!). I wonder if www.aniruddhasethireport.com is the original source (what’s this??? The site says “we report rumors and hear-say but never create them! How nice!). Rumors? Hell, yes! It’s a matter of time before the more respectable of our media outlets all start flashing this story – again without verifying – on their websites and mass-media outlets.

Modi’s PR skills are legendary. It appears that Modi’s trolls are motivated more by the newsworthiness of a story than its basic truthfulness. Numbers are vastly exaggerated, sometimes in a way that leads to embarassment, like in this instance. Maybe that’s why Modi has become cautious in the last few weeks (since the China comment). But this news starts the pattern again. Like they say in Hindi – Kutte ki dum kabhi seedhi nahin hoti! (meant only as a phrase!).

The real truth is that the exaggeration-prone Modi’s trolls are at it again. This time, at an even more scaled up and bizarre level. Very soon, the story will be all over mass-media. It may be denied later, but by that time, its job would have been done. This is new-age India, and this is the worst of digital media….

Why are so many reputed journalists politically so biased?

I carry this almost saintly belief that journalists are like teachers, informing us about developments, helping us understand them, and showing us the truth. They are people with strong ethics and high standards. Wikipedia talks of “truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability” in the context of journalism. A political journalist must be fair and unbiased, applauding the good, and criticizing the bad work of a politician or a party. But in India today, some of our most reputed journalists are shattering this basic tenet of journalistic ethics. They are politically aligned and biased in reporting.

I am most disappointed with Swapan Dasgupta. I always regarded him as one of India’s foremost journalists. He is one who effortlessly straddles both print and TV. I find his arguments engaging, and I like his dignified conduct, always allowing others to finish their talk, never getting personal or abusive. Unfortunately, he is not objective. I have always seen him singing paeans of Narendra Modi. It doesn’t matter what the debate is about, he will always promote or defend Modi. I agree being pro-Modi is his birthright, but its equally the birthright of his followers that he declare his bias upfront, and not pretend to be a mere “senior journalist”. I guess he knows that if did in fact do that, he would stop being the revered journalist that he is. So he plays along, almost “cheating” his followers. His twitter description “Politically conservative; socially Anglophile; emotionally in 1930s” doesn’t reveal his bias either.

The BJP is popular with many such senior journalists. One wonders if this is a genuine affection for the party, or something else. Ashok Malik (“Twitter agnostic, trying to develop faith. Otherwise a news columnist”), Minhaz Merchant (“Biographer of Rajiv Gandhi and Aditya Birla. Media group chairman and editor”), MJ Akbar, Prabhu Chawla (“Editorial Director, The New Indian Express and The Sunday Standard”) or Tavleen Singh (simply “columnist”) are all big names in journalism, but unfortunately, they cannot be called objective. While the BJP has the larger share, the Congress has its own band of supportive journos. Kumar Ketkar is one such.

I actually appreciate the Chandan Mitras of the world because they have chosen to join a party. When they take their party’s line, there is no confusion in the minds of the reader or viewer. What I mind is when senior journalists do not inform us about their political interests.

It’s the same with our TV anchors. Before a topic is announced, one knows what their views will be. Then there is this other way by which TV anchors play games. They set up panels that suit their point of view, and give more air time to those who speak their type of language. Here is how a famous pro-BJP anchor typically constitutes his panel: One member from the Congress, one from the BJP, one from Shiv Sena, one from SAD, one from BJD and one journalist (typically biased) or activist (usually anti government). And then he gives everyone the same time to speak (see how fair he is)! This channel perhaps draws inspiration from Fox News which calls itself “fair and balanced” but who Larry King accused of being “a Republican brand”. Usually however, the media in advanced countries plays a far more responsible role. In the UK recently, a panel on Sky News had one MP each from the Conservatives, Lib Dems (so two from government) and Labor parties, reflecting the position in their Parliament, and hence the last measured public opinion. They also had a journo who was truly independent.

Fortunately for us, there are many journalists who remain proudly unbiased. Foremost is Shekhar Gupta, who is my favorite. I have always seen him argue for or against an issue, never a particular party or politician. My second favorite is Barkha Dutt, who firstly, conducts her show with extreme decency, allowing everyone to speak and never allowing anyone to abuse, and secondly never takes a side that she doesn’t genuinely believe in. Then Vinod Mehta, Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyer, Siddharth Varadarajan (Hindu), Vir Das (he hardly ever writes), Rajdeep Sardesai, Prannoy Roy (whenever he does make an appearance), Karan Thapar are all fair and unbiased, while still retaining their razor sharp demeanour.

I have this feeling that TV audiences have seen through this deceit. That’s why English news channels viewership has fallen off the cliff in the last two years. Not that the viewership numbers were very high to begin with, what is left today is just a quarter of that. English TV news viewers are sticking to morning newspapers, which have done a far far better job of fair and unbiased reporting.

Media is considered the fourth pillar of a democracy. If media cannot remain honest, and apolitical, then democracy will crumble. If all communication we get from these news pundits is tainted, then how do we separate right from wrong? It’s a serious problem.

One last point. If these seasoned journalists have political biases, that’s perfectly fine. Like I said earlier, its their right. But then, they should become bloggers. By definition, bloggers express their personal – even biased –  views, and seek out followers who agree with them. But when journos appear on mass media, they are duty bound to be unbiased and apolitical.

The real truth is that some of our seniormost, most respected journalists are making a mockery of their trade, harming our democracy even more than some of our politicians do. Such biased, colored balderdash has to stop….

Modi’s nomination anything but a US-style Primary….

So Narendra Modi is the BJP’s PM nominee. That should bring down the curtains on a sordid saga of personal egos and ambitions, opaque internal politics, remote controlled decisions and an obvious crushing of dissent. The BJP possibly sees this as a US-style primary, and the forthcoming 2014 General elections as a US-style Presidential election. But honeslty, this internal struggle was hardly anything even remotely similar to a US primary. Here’s why:

First: The US primaries are decided by a secret vote amongst party members held over a period of several months. Primaries are held state by state, with leaders and members of the party in each state getting a chance to vote. The decision on which candidate goes forward is based not on some amorphous “wave” or non-descript “popularity” or some sponsored “poll” but on genuine, secret voting. Out here, no one got to vote, maybe for fear that the real picture may emerge.

Two: Most importantly, there are 3-4 candidates who fight it out in a primary. Out here, while we know there were many in the race, they were simply not there in public view. Maybe no one wants to challenge the “wave”. In that case, this represents a stifling of democracy; not the exemplary practice of democracy. In the US, the ones who lose, lose fairly and squarely, leaving no ill-will. Out here, there is solid ill-will. Forget Advani, who has virtually gone public. Wait for dissent from Swaraj, Joshi, Sinha, Sinha and co.

Third: The US primaries are all about putting forward an agenda. One candidate’s plans and vision compared to the others’. It’s a constructive debate. It’s a squaring off between alternate ideologies. What is Narendra Modi’s ideology? For that matter, what is the BJP’s ideology? While nothing has been spelt out, one can glean out a few patterns a) an aggressive pursuit of hindutva, with concomitant marginalization of muslims/Christians/everyone else. There may be no more riots in the country alright, but that will because of oppression, not joyous integration. And oh yes, there will be many more unreported encounters b) an aggressive relationship with neighbors, with attendant conflagrations at the borders, souring of relations with even peaceful ones like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and the welcome to China to enter them and surround us even more. God forbid, if this style leads to a needless provocation of China, then we’ll be pushed back by a few decades c) More subsidies: Modi prefers more grains to the poor at cheaper prices, hence higher food subsidy. He’s not spoken of cutting any other subsidy, neither fertilizer, nor LPG, kerosene or anything else (even though he has abused the Congress for this!) d) No Lokpal, Anna please note. Or even if there is one, an even more diluted one than that proposed by the Congress. And Lok Ayuktas? Heavens no! Even Gujarat has not had one for the last ten years. Institutions like the RTI will also be given a short shrift e)  Forget inclusiveness. This government will work for industry and industry alone. Land will be given off easily. Environment will be given the go-by. The R&R burden will be light. Dissent in any case will not be tolerated. This is the sole reason why industry is cheering for Modi.

Fourth: The US primaries may be an internal affair of the party but they are fought in the public. Like someone pointed out on TV the other day (was in Pawan Varma, advisor to the JD(U)?), the public comes to know what the differences are within the party. That brings transparency and honesty to the process. The transparency also helps people decide whether they want to vote for that party or not. It may be an internal power struggle, but its also a constant communication with the public. Out here, we have no clue why Modi’s opponents were opposing him. Is it because they are also aspirants to the top job (nothing wrong with that)? Do they have a softer line on Hindutva than Modi (Advani’s Jinnah moment)? Do they disagree with Modi’s growth agenda, if there is one shared internally? No one knows anything. All that we know is that power politics is being played out.

The only commonality if any with the US Presidential system is that the opponent (the “Grand Old Party” as it were) is sitting pretty waiting for the other side to fight it out (and watching in glee!). The Congress has no leadership struggle, no doubt about who the leader is, no public spats, and a proven record of what it stands for – good and bad. The Congress’s poll planks are mainly two as expostulated by Shashi Tharoor in recent times a) a Rights-and-entitlements based focus on the poor and disenfranchised and b) “pluralism” (he prefers this to secularism) of ideas, cultures, religions, viewpoints…..as opposed to the monochromatic (saffron) hegemony of a single ideology (RSS’s). This pluralism can also be called “inclusiveness”. Or what we were taught in school: Unity in diversity. The Congress’s economic record has been exemplary, inspite of the last two years. Ten years of the highest growth ever recorded by India (8.2%+). It includes retrieving the economy from doom (6 years of NDA rule were those of the lowest growth since 1991), raising India’s stature globally (G-20, BRICS, nuclear/space programs, poverty alleviation, Obama’s repeated references to Bangalore, even making it a verb…..). What I also found refreshing in Tharoor’s points was an acceptance that corruption has become a scourge, but the party was determined to clean it all up. The BJP pretends to be clean and honest, forgetting Karnataka (Modi will tie-up with Yeddy all over again) and the fact that they back-tracked on creating Lok Ayuktas along with the Lokpal in spite of assurances given in Parliament to Anna.

The real truth is that Modi has won the internal battles as was expected. Advani was unceremoniously thrown into the dustbin (Why couldn’t they wait for 2 more months?). Whether Modi’s elevation makes or breaks the party remains to be seen. Whatever happens, please lets not fool ourselves by comparing the BJP’s sordit internal battles with US primaries….