Deer In The Headlights

I seldom watch ‘Frankly Speaking’ on Times Now. My pulse quickens, my head throbs and I am unable to sleep. What is the point of watching relentless accusations where you profess respect, but shut your opponents the moment they open their mouth? When the news anchor has a patience of a two year old, there isn’t much to take away, is there?

I did however watch the entire Rahul Gandhi interview and my vital parameters are normal, thank you. Though the onslaught of jokes in the aftermath of the interview has numbed my senses. 

If anything, this one-on-one raised more questions than answers.

Self-Goal Rahul seems to be a good person in the wrong place. It was evident that he is detached and shallow in his thinking about national issues. In his own words, he is an ‘anomaly’ in the system. For all we know, he could have been a brilliant photographer, a prolific painter or an amazing artist. Why, he could even be a sensitive social worker. But a politician, a leader or an administrator?
Hmm...

Faux-Live? Why call the interview LIVE when the interview was recorded on Saturday? Some journalists claim to have received the transcript an hour before the interview was supposedly telecast LIVE on Monday.So does this mean that the interview was edited? If yes, who gained from the editing? Rahul or Arnab? According to DNA, Jairam Ramesh and Priyanka prompted Rahul from behind the camera! For any discerning viewer it did appear as if Rahul was seeking reassurance from someone in the Jawahar Bhavan room.

No Personal Questions Please Why did Arnab not talk about Bofors or his brother-in-law? Perhaps, Arnab was equally foxed by the confused dignity of his guest. Or maybe, it was agreed that no personal questions about the family will be asked! Things seldom work unless there is a quid pro quo.

Selective Amnesia After the interview, the 1984 riot issue has exploded again on Times Now. Was it a ploy? And why talk about 1984 and 2002 only? We have witnessed more than fifty riots after independence.

According to an article in Outlook, that there have been “58 major communal riots in 47 places since 1967. Ten in South India, 12 in East, 16 in West and 20 in North India. Since 1964, Ahmedabad has seen five major riots and Hyderabad four. The 1990s saw the most riots in the last five decades: 23. The 1970s saw seven riots, the 1980s 14; the 2000s have seen 13. Total toll: 12,828 (South 597, West 3,426, East 3,581 and North 5,224). In 1964, a wave of rioting in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Jamshedpur and Rourkela killed 2,500.”
Yes, the wounds of 1984 and 2002 are fresh. Agreed, that the media needs to question accountability and demand justice. But why ignore all the other riots after independence?

Politics of Apology After Rahul, it is a given that Modi is next on the hot seat. He will be made to apologize for the mayhem of 2002. While I understand the relevance of an apology, will a half-hearted ‘sorry’ mumbled under the pressure of polls or a hostile anchor mean anything?
Unless the perpetrators are brought to justice, ‘Sorry’ is just a five letter word. Apologizing in the true sense means that you feel the pulse of victim’s pain as well as your own. Above all, a genuine 'Sorry' is about delivering justice. Everything else is hogwash.

Who Gained? The biggest gainers from the Rahul Gandhi interview are the BJP and Arnab Goswami. News is that Rahul will now be available for more such media interactions. But the first mover advantage is clearly Arnab’s.

What did I gain from the interview? Well,  those going to Cambridge and Oxford need not necessarily be good leaders. Or good anchors.

Picture: www.panoromio.com