Author: M.V. Kamath
Publication: The Afternoon
Date: July 30, 2004
The atrocities committed by the
CPM are not just played down: they are not at all covered. That wouldn't
suit our secular press
Our 'national' newspapers are 'national'
only in name. Their coverage of news on an all-India level should make
anyone working for them hang their heads in shame. Far too often the north
east is hardly covered and yet that is for all purposes a strategic area.
On July 15, a group of Manipuri women stripped down and 'stormed' the Army
base in Imphal as inhibition collapsed before anger at the custody death
of one of their own. About forty women converged on the main entrance to
Kangla Fort, the headquarters of the Assam Rifles' 9 Sector, shouting slogans
against excesses by security forces and demanding punishment of the personnel
who allegedly tortured and killed a 32-year-old Manipuri woman. A dozen
of them - mostly middle-aged and some older - shed their clothes and tore
into the campus holding banners that covered their nudity but which had
emblazoned on them the lines: "Indian Army, Take our Flesh" and "Indian
Army, Rape Us".
Bikini sells better
Most Mumbai papers did not carry
the story. The Kolkata-based The Statesman and The Telegraph did, accompanied
by pictures. In its report The Telegraph said: "Some of the demonstrators
fainted, possibly overcome by emotion". Something fishy is going on in
Manipur and surrounding areas, but the whole of North East, including even
Assam, is treated as if the area does not exist. Apparently a picture of
Amitabh Bachchan or some girl in a bikini sells better. No one cares to
make a study of how the CPM runs a terrorist state in West Bengal. It is
more fun to run down Narendra Modi. When the Lashkar admits to using Ishrat
Jahan for killing Modi, play down the story. But play up what Laloo Prasad
says about having a new study made of the Godhra burning of coaches, that
killed 58 women and children. Play up the alleged finding that the fire
in the coaches started from inside the coaches, but play down the fact
that over 2,000 Godhra Muslims were surrounding the coaches, screaming.
What sort of journalism are we practising? The atrocities committed by
the CPM are not just played down: they are not at all covered. That wouldn't
suit our secular press. The press does not take to task the Congress for
licking the shoes of the Marxists. But it turns the Marxists - self-styled
mad dogs - into heroes, quoting Sitaram Yechury, the CPM politburo member
as saying in BBC Hard Talk: "We will not be responsible for the fall of
the government but the government has to ensure that they themselves are
not responsible for their fall". If this is not blackmail, what is? The
CPM threatens to destabilise the government when what this country desperately
needs is a stable government but its threat is ignored. It was left to
Arun Nehru to ask in Asian Age: Do we have a government?" Noted Nehru:
"The PM has very little control over allies like the DMK and the RJD who
together have around 60 seats, or the Left which has another 60 seats.
Clearly the fruits of power are being extracted in every possible manner.
The Left and Sonia have one thing in common - both exercise power without
any accountability". This needs to be exposed, but no one dares to. It
doesn't suit over secular newspapers. The Hindu (July 15) carried a story,
courtesy the London Guardian which said that according to a Saudi text
book for six year old children "all religions other than Islam are false".
And a note to teachers says that they should "ensure to explain" this point.
One Saudi text book for teenagers urges teenagers not to befriend Christians
or Jews. According to the textbook: "Emulation of the infidels leads to
loving them, glorifying them and raising their status in the eyes of the
Muslim and that is forbidden". Seema Mustafa, writing in Deccan Chronicle
(July 2), claims that "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is not being consulted
by External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh on matters of foreign policy"
- a very serious charge indeed. Nobody has pursued this story and neither
has it been officially denied. Who is running this country? The Punjab
government denies much-needed water to Haryana and Rajasthan on specious
grounds. The argument is that none of the three rivers, Ravi Beas and Sutlej
flow through either Haryana or Rajasthan. Capt. Amarinder Singh, Punjab
Chief Minister probably does not remember that Haryana was once part of
Punjab. If the state had not been divided would Haryana have been entitled
to the Punjab waters? But Amarinder Singh is not criticised. He belongs
to the Congress. Have we all lost our sense of Indianness? The Hindustan
Times (July 16) argues that terrorists should not be shot: they should
be arrested and tried in a court, and no matter if the trial takes several
years. But how does one 'arrest' them when, on being challenged, they come
out of their car with their guns blazing? Are cops expected to offer satyagraha
before terrorists? The perversity of our national papers has to be seen
to be believed. The message is: be nice to the terrorists, they only wanted
to kill Narendra Modi. Narendra Modi is a fascist: and shouldn't fascists
be killed first? But even before the Hindustan Times editorial ink had
dried came a story in The Indian Express which said: "Even as the Lashkar
claims Ishrat Jahan Sheikh as their own, comes the news that its 'Kill
Modi' module had strong cross-border links. And that the suspected terrorists
killed in the Ahmedabad encounter had connections with a LeT module busted
by the J-K police on June 28." The J-K police had arrested seventeen LeT
operatives one of whom had provided the Ahmedabad terrorists "the logistics
of the mission to kill Modi". The approach of the Hindustan Times is that
those out to kill Narendra Modi should be treated with compassion and perhaps
give 5-star treatment in jail. It is as if our media would not be too unhappy
if Narendra Modi was shot dead.
Inflicting views
The Times of India has launched
its 'Newspapers in Education' (NiE). Sanjeev Vohra, Director, The Times
of India has been quoted as saying: "The Times of India will create and
deliver a special edition to students to use as a learning tool. Research
has shown that NiE programme positively impact student motivation, attitude,
academic skills and classroom communication. A newspaper, being current
and relevant, also keeps students informed and helps to mould them into
responsible and socially aware citizens". One can only pray to God that
the paper will not inflict its political views on young children and poison
their minds. It is one thing to poison adult minds. But feeding children
with propaganda is quite another. Perhaps Anupam Kher, the Censor Board
chief who attended the launch ceremony will keep his eyes wide open. Education
is too sacred a theme to be allowed to be contaminated, by self-professed
educationists.
