The nasty nature of Indian politics and media has once again come to surface. Some youngster called Varun Gandhi used dirty language against Muslims at two places while on an election campaign in Pilibhit constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He took his liberty to use all the derogatory adjectives in his vocabulary for Muslims even pledging to kill them all after the election (if elected to the Parliament). At first he was ignored by the media but soon turned into the hottest newsmaker and continued to occupy that position for almost a week in both the electronic and print media. The Election Commission advised the local administration to take appropriate action against him for violating the election code of conduct. Even though he was generally criticized by most of the media outlets, the huge publicity he got was enough to make him a leader. The easiest way to gain popularity these days, particularly for those who have little to offer, is to malign some section of the population.
The Familiar Technique of a Party
The boy mentioned above is said to be the son of Sanjay and Maneka Gandhi. He is to represent Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for Lok Sabha seat from Pilibhit. The opposition parties have condemned the statements made by the candidate. The BJP too is in a fix but waiting to see if it can politically gain from the hullabaloo. It has been a known practice of the party to get some wrong done either intentionally by its own cadre or condone it if they commit it by themselves. They then wait and watch. If the act appears to be politically profitable, the party owns it otherwise distances itself. The demolition of Babri Mosque and the Gujarat carnage are examples of its familiar modus operandi. The youngster named Varun too learnt the language he used from his elders in the party. Only recently Mr L K Advani, the prime ministerial face of the BJP, claimed that the Congress government was shy of hanging Afzal Guru simply because he bore a Muslim name. Had he have a Hindu name, he would have been hanged long ago. What would you expect from the younger ones if the elders of the party are using such foul language?
Media is to Blame
The politics of hate, even though efficient, is a double-edged sword. Kansi Ram and Mayawati used the same stick to build their positions to the extent that Brahmins have practically agreed to play the role of younger brother in their Dalit-Brahmin alliance. The upper-caste political dominance in Bihar was also shattered through this very weapon. It is so easy in Indian politics to use foul language or spread hate against any one go gain political mileage. Ninety five per cent responsibility of the phenomenon lies on the shoulder of the media. It can take any unknown figure to unprecedented heights. Raj Thakrey of Mumbai remained unknown as long he talked about the development of Maharashtra. No sooner he started to spew out venom against Biharis and UPians he was on top of popularity, fortunately for a short time. It is media that needs to be controlled if the legal action against such elements is to be effective.
22/03/09 khabar-o-nazar by Parvaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: M H Zulqarnain
The Familiar Technique of a Party
The boy mentioned above is said to be the son of Sanjay and Maneka Gandhi. He is to represent Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for Lok Sabha seat from Pilibhit. The opposition parties have condemned the statements made by the candidate. The BJP too is in a fix but waiting to see if it can politically gain from the hullabaloo. It has been a known practice of the party to get some wrong done either intentionally by its own cadre or condone it if they commit it by themselves. They then wait and watch. If the act appears to be politically profitable, the party owns it otherwise distances itself. The demolition of Babri Mosque and the Gujarat carnage are examples of its familiar modus operandi. The youngster named Varun too learnt the language he used from his elders in the party. Only recently Mr L K Advani, the prime ministerial face of the BJP, claimed that the Congress government was shy of hanging Afzal Guru simply because he bore a Muslim name. Had he have a Hindu name, he would have been hanged long ago. What would you expect from the younger ones if the elders of the party are using such foul language?
Media is to Blame
The politics of hate, even though efficient, is a double-edged sword. Kansi Ram and Mayawati used the same stick to build their positions to the extent that Brahmins have practically agreed to play the role of younger brother in their Dalit-Brahmin alliance. The upper-caste political dominance in Bihar was also shattered through this very weapon. It is so easy in Indian politics to use foul language or spread hate against any one go gain political mileage. Ninety five per cent responsibility of the phenomenon lies on the shoulder of the media. It can take any unknown figure to unprecedented heights. Raj Thakrey of Mumbai remained unknown as long he talked about the development of Maharashtra. No sooner he started to spew out venom against Biharis and UPians he was on top of popularity, fortunately for a short time. It is media that needs to be controlled if the legal action against such elements is to be effective.
22/03/09 khabar-o-nazar by Parvaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: M H Zulqarnain
No comments:
Post a Comment