A journalist is heckled for expressing a view found unpalatable
by some. Push comes to shove, literally,
in an undignified manner.
Not much value can be found in a ‘he-said-she-said-he-did-she-did’
exercise.
So then, let’s look at the larger picture.
For a moment, let’s completely accept that Rajdeep
is a ‘khan-gressi stooge’, and was ‘insulting the country’ outside India. Let’s
take it that he has always ‘insulted’ the prime minister, and had an ax to
grind. On top of that, let us put the icing on the cake: he is ‘paid media’. All accepted, and then some, for a minute. Sure.
Having said that, do we allow us to forget that all
said and done, he does his ‘stuff’ with his words? Do we also allow ourselves
to forget that unlike a few other anchors on television, he almost invariably,
gives the other person a chance to speak through, and importantly, a chance to
disagree with him? Do we forget that in
a free world, it is the survival of the fittest tv channels, and we are all
blessed with remote controls in search of an alternative truth?
Is Rajdeep really then, the point?
The important thing is what gives the chest-thumping self-righteous
warriors of ‘achhe din’ the right to heckle him, abuse him? What gives someone even
the right to say ‘he had it coming’?
How did educated and reasonable people end up becoming
so blind to the fundamental building block of a democracy: that as they are
entitled to their views, so are others to theirs? Even contrarian and ‘khan-gressi’
and ‘sickular’ views, if that may be?
Our prime minister seems to be doing a good job in his
new role, and if he ends up achieving a quarter of what he seems to plan, this
country will be better off. Of that, there can be not much doubt. But that said, is Mr. Modi, God incarnate, and
totally beyond criticism? Come to think of it, is God Himself beyond criticism?
In fact, one of the erm..criticism that I have of Mr.
Modi is that he himself has spawned this entire horde of chest-thumping, intolerant
class of ‘bhakts’ by numerous small, but insidious thoughts. Do we remember the amazing ‘Congress mukt
bharat’ slogan? The one which equated a opponent
political party, to an evil and a disease? No Sir, none of the measured: ‘Vote against congress/ bring me to power’;
but a ruthless ‘eliminate the congress disease from this country’. Is it any
wonder then with that 'tone from the top', the bhakts also speak the same language? That
the bhakts are totally convinced convinced that any contrary view is a symptom of the ‘disease’
diagnosed by their leader, and utterances of blasphemy?
Yes, we all expect great things from the prime
minister, and it is possible, probable even, that he may end up significantly
impacting the country positively. There is an undoubted sense of optimism
around that ‘achhe din’ will come. It is entirely true that most of this country looks
forward in hope.
But that said, if we give up logical argument and
measured thought in seeking to express our disagreements, and seek to stifle or
threaten the contrary voice, how boring will that be?
How sad will that be, for
this great democracy? What can be remotely
‘accha’ about it when one is mortally scared to even entertain a differing viewpoint?
The Prime Minister reportedly reached out to Rajdeep
through an intermediary, expressing regret. I hope he recognizes the importance
of his personally coming out and taking a clear stand for tolerance. I hope he
asks his worshiping band of strident bhakts to indulge in some yoga : breathe out
the negativity, breathe in peace and positivism. Say Om. Say ‘I disagree’, when feeling like
disagreeing; and nothing more.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
