M J akbar touches many things along with SASB

[Guest dada_rocks]

http://covert.co.in/cover.htm But there is always a flashpoint lurking in the subconscious, waiting to explode. The trigger is hurt, a grievance that emerges from a perceived sense of injustice. The Hindu who has quietly watched mosque and dargah expand around him, explodes when a few acres are denied to pilgrims on the arduous trek to Amarnath. He has seen Haj Houses sprout around him for Muslims on their way to Mecca. These rest houses are not temporary structures created for the two months involved in the two-way journey for Haj; they have become permanent community centres. He asks a question: why should he be denied a place for tired feet on the way to Amarnath? Is it a punishment to be a Hindu in India? There is fundamental disconnect at a critical seam: the Muslim sees himself as a victim, the non-Muslim views him as a perpetrator of turbulence and injustice. The image leaps across time, bypassing inconsistencies, ignoring facts. Foolish politicians like Lalu Yadav, who seek the mass by pandering to the extreme, do Muslims great harm. His latest, in which he has the company of Mulayam Singh Yadav, is to offer SIMI a certificate of innocence even while the Government of which he is a part goes to the Supreme Court to ban the organisation. If Lalu Yadav has the courage of his convictions then he should resign. If not, he should keep his garrulous tongue under control. The extremist Muslim, of course, takes comfort in such contradictions, and retreats to his haven convinced that between corruption, complacence and appeasement his excesses will remain unpunished. This is a moment that demands sagacious leadership. The Government is lost in gazing at its navel, or in the manipulation of currency notes, with neither the language to soothe a wound, nor the will to confront an aggressor. An individual can afford the luxury of indifference. A nation cannot [¼]

[Lurker]

Good snippet DR, thanks for sharing. MJ Akbar is one of my favorite Editors, even though of late I havent read him as much as I probably would like. This piece should make for a long reading with a cup of tea. Good to see MJ look at the issue without being biased(Muslim brigade would have already tagged this article as apologist rant of a psedo-intellactual).

[Guest dada_rocks]

Poor guy got thrown out of Asian age editorshio coule of months back just because he is an ardent Nuclear deal critic and his boss mr Reddy had been fishing for Rajya Sabha seat.. Sonia Mata's quid pro quo demanded sacking of M J Akbar. HE was not just given pink slip he was basically humiliated by dropping his name overnight fand poor guy found this out while on his way to the office. What amazes me is the impunity wiht which media-mogouls keep doing this to the respectable editors under political pressure and their own interest. Arun Shourie too faced the similar fate one fine day at the hands of Indian express owners. His crime : exposing the Maharashtra CM's complicity in a corruption which minted money and diverted it to a board in name of Indira Gandhi. Relentless campaign of Shourie insured the removal of Mr Antulay from CM's chair. Little detour here I happen to know these things that's why I can't bring myself to put Maywati to guilloitine. Basically she is following the footsteps of congress leadership. As a ruling party in Delhi you do a lot of shady things and for that you need money. Anyway madam Indiraji could not take this and got Mr Shourie evicted. It's another matter Goenka was fond of Shourie and brought him back once again. My beef is with journalist fraternity :Theese media mogouls treat one shabbily in downright delporable manner yet others queue for the same post. M J Akbar has started his onw fortnightly cnamed covert. Most of the time I do not agree with Akbar yet I respect the guy he more often than not he would not fight with the rational progression of a debate by propping some dubious alibis whihc most of the journalist fortified in myriad camps do these days..