News headlines and the Media

Three newspapers and two magazines, that’s what get delivered to my room the latter once being weekly. It’s really hard to find time to even glance through all of them, due to time constraints. They have so much content that I believe I will have to sacrifice my menial 6 hours of sleep if I want to just skim through them. While I continue running out of time, they do not seem to match me by running out of content.

So I decided to ponder over certain issues which are continuously making headlines and try to analyze them in my own way. First let’s take up the feud between the Ambani brothers. Well it could very well form a plot of Deewar part 2 directed by Vishal Bharadwaj. Two brothers engaged in spat of insinuations and accusations taking down business as well as politics with them. “The WAR of the Giants” is hurting the reputation of Indian industry which has not yet recovered from the Satyam saga. The advertisement campaign carried out by the junior brother indicates the seriousness with which he is taking this issue and why not. After all, 30,000 crore is at stake. It not often that a businessman comes out so openly against a cabinet minister (read Murli Deora) in office. I mean he is not afraid of the ramifications it can have for him and his business empire. But what I have concluded in all this is that it’s not the losses of the government which are his concern, rather the super normal profits of RIL, of which, he wants a share forms the bottom line. I am waiting to see who pulls this one off.

Then the case of Shahruk Khan being held at Newark Airport of US for questioning is one other news which painted the front pages of all top news papers. King Khan used to getting princely treatment at home could not tolerate the realities of the world and was hurt being treated like a normal muslim (as the US treats them). The Raj of DDLJ who has won countless hearts with his portrayal of characters who are epitome of lover boy was short of wits to convince the US authorities. The VIP syndrome in India is one of the worst in the world. Actually India has a habit of making it to the top on all negative parameters. We are the best in corruption, population, casteism, crime etc. Name the problem and we have it. India is a country where more people are exempted from frisking many countries combined. The day is not far when the number of VIPs in this country would cross the number of ordinary citizens.

BJP is another case of “LIFE CYCLE OF A PRODUCT”, and it is in a dying state. There is no internal control in the party and the succession planning which the best corporations in the world lay great stress on has been completely ignored by it. Soon Rajnath Singh will have to keep ready made expulsion letters ready with the names column left blank, so that he can throw out more and more party member, followed by complete state units, until the party has just one member that is him as the president.

Newspapers have the habit of blowing up issues and troubles in magnifying proportions but this time they are not to blame. In face the spice in the issues is reducing effort required on their part. I can only pray for some good news for this country but till then the media will continue to have a gala time…

The BJP-Jaswant Singh Partition

The jinn of Jinaah has once again come to haunt BJP. Earlier it was Advani's comment on calling Jinnah a secular leader and now it is Jaswant Singh's turn to face the heat. Although Jaswant not being a mass leader would not have much affect on the future prospects of the party. Still I feel sad for BJP. The party which claimed to be different and unique has gone down and hopes of its revival are dismal. The problem with the party was that after Atal and Advani there was no number 2 in the party. So after the vetran leaders were due for retirement there was nobody in the party to claim the position, or rather too many. Thus it lead to a bloddy war of succession. This war is taking its tall on the party. Rajnath who is not a mass leader himself is holding the reigns and many under him find his authority unacceptable, the state units are on verge of rebellion and the performance of the party is in tatters. For how much time the party can survive in these conditions, only time will tell.

Some times I feel that the dynastic politics and the nepotism of Congress is better in this regard. Right from the time of Jawahar Lal Nehru to Indira Gandhi, Rajiv, Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka the baton always is passed to the heirs of the throne. Atleast the no. 1 spot is fixed in the party and everybody agrees to adhere to his diktat. Those who chose to rebel are quitely shown the door as in case of Sharad Pawar and gang. I know for certain that Rahul is going to lead the congress in time to come followed by his son.
If we see the other regional parties, they seem to be plagued by a similar problem. Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule are contesting to be hier to Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena is already in shambles owing to the nepotistic attitude of Bala Shaeb, SP is facing similar problem, the war in DMK is known to all. That brings me to the conclusion that the well establised dynastic regime of Congress is proving to be more robust than the dangling hierarcy of other party. Though I am opposed to the idea and many of my readers would be, still looking at the facts above the conclusion is imminent.