Tavleen Singh: The Enemies Within

[surajmal]

http://www.afternoondc.in/editorial/the-enemies-within/article_30998

While listening to them I realized, more than ever before, that India’s biggest enemies are Indian opinion makers and our leftist intellectuals.

A TELEVISION show may seem like an odd place to make a profound political discovery but this is what happened to me last week. I agreed to appear on Nidhi Razdan’s show, left, right and centre, in which she discusses the hot topics of the day. She invites journalists, political analysts and politicians to express themselves on subjects she considers important on that day. So on Monday of last week she decided that the two most compelling subjects were the corruption charges that currently surround the chief minister of Karnataka and, more puzzlingly, the lessons India can learn from the massacre in Norway. Her guests in the NDTV studio in Delhi included Nirmala Sitaraman, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s spokeswoman, Shoma Chaudhury, editor of Tehelka and a British journalist of bleeding hearted liberal disposition. I was in a studio in Mumbai listening to the discussion on an earphone and participating when Nidhi gave me the chance to intervene. Swamp of corruption On the swamp of corruption that the Karnataka chief minister finds himself mired in, there was general agreement that if the BJP did not ask him to resign its campaign against corruption in the central government would fall apart. Nirmala assured everyone that if the Lokayukta’s report on illegal mining personally indicted the chief minister he would be ordered to resign. It was when we got to the second topic of the day that I found myself horrified by the discussion that went on in the NDTV studio in Delhi. Nidhi led it by saying that Anders Behring Breivik represented right wing terrorism and that this was something we needed to deal with in India as well. By this she meant Hindutva terrorism and within minutes she had everyone, including the spokesperson of the BJP, agreeing that all terrorism was bad and that it should not be linked to any religion. Shoma of Tehelka then went into a passionate dirge about ‘innocent’ Muslim boys rotting in Indian jails and about how only when it came to jihadi acts of violence was an act of terror linked to religion. The consensus among Nidhi’s panelists was that Hindutva terrorism was more of a threat to India than Islamist terrorism with the British journalist pointed out that someone as clever and informed as Rahul Gandhi had informed the American ambassador, as reported by Wikileaks, that he was more worried about majority communalism in India than about any threats from across the border. In vain did I try pointing out that the reason why jihadi terrorism was linked to Islam was because it was the terrorists who called themselves holy warriors for Islam. In vain did I try reminding my fellow panelists that the jihadi groups committing acts of violence in India were created by the ISI and that this meant that they had the might of the Pakistani army behind them. Nidhi’s panelists, led by the very verbose Shoma, were convinced that ‘saffron’ terror as it has come to be known was the biggest threat to India. While listening to them I realized, more than ever before, that India’s biggest enemies are Indian opinion makers and our leftist intellectuals. To compare Hindutva terrorism with jihadi terrorism is to diminish Pakistan’s undeclared war against India that is being fought by the jihadi groups it created with the specific purpose of destroying India. Even before David Headley confirmed it, Indian intelligence services have known that the 10 killers who came to Mumbai on November 26, 2008 were mere pawns in a game played by powerful men sitting in Pakistan. On cellphones they guided every move the 10 terrorists made right down to when they should eat and drink and when they should resign themselves to martyrdom. Before the last terrorist, Fahadullah, died in the Oberoi Hotel his master in Islamabad told him to tell the Indian media that what happened on 26/11 was only a trailer and that they should be prepared to see the full movie soon. Even the Pakistani government has found it hard to deny that the Pakistani army has been responsible for creating groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. And, there is evidence that it was the ISI that helped create indigenous jihadi groups like the Indian Mujahideen. In the cause of the jihad against India these groups have killed hundreds of innocent Indians in temples, bazaars, hotels and even hospitals. Does this compare with the two or three terrorist incidents we have seen that involved Hindu terrorists? Yet, not only do our leftist intellectuals make this comparison but so do important politicians. The Home Minister said last week that he thought the BJP was targeting him in the 2G spectrum scam only because he was investigating acts of terrorism that involved leading members of the RSS. As for Rahul Gandhi’s mentor, Digvijay Singh, he has hinted on more than one occasion that he believes that it was the RSS who organized the attack on Mumbai. He went so far, not long ago, to go on a book tour with an author who wrote a book called 26/11: an RSS plot. Ultimate achievement The ultimate achievement of these Indian spokesmen of jihadi terrorism is that most Pakistanis that I have met express serious doubts about whether Pakistanis were in fact involved in the Mumbai attack. I have spoken to Pakistani taxi drivers in Dubai who have said they believe that 26/11 was the work of Indian intelligence agencies and I have spoken to educated Pakistanis who share this view. To strengthen their case they invariably quote Indian politicians or Indian journalists. Tehelka is possibly more popular in Pakistan than it is in India and why should it not be since its major claim to fame was a sting operation (more entrapment than sting) that put defence purchases by India’s armed forces on hold for more than five years. It routinely promotes the cause of jihadis and Maoists and nearly always has something bad to say about anything that has the word Hindu in it. After I appeared on Nidhi’s show I received a small floodgate of tweets from twitterers who had seen the show asking if I knew where Tehelka got its funding from. I do not and nor do I care to speculate but what I will say is that most of Tehelka’s investigative journalism seems designed to prove that India is as failed a state as Pakistan and that Indian democracy is mostly a sham. It is a viewpoint that is beginning to get on my last nerve.

[ravishingravi]

Bravo!!

[Guest Gunner]

These are the kind of views because of which Tavleen is disliked in India. I used to read her column regularly in the late 90s and early 2000s, I almost always found her views interesting and well reasoned. Such journalists are at a premium these days in India compared to the fools I see on TV occasionally and the idiots who write editorials in most newspapers in India. I find that even the standard of "The Hindu" has begun to diminish.

[surajmal]

Her interviews were awesome. Not like the nutjobs you have on TVs today, like they would ask the question and stop/interject the interviewee in the middle of the response. She would actually let the interview be about the subject. Her interview with Atal Bihari Vajpayee is must see TV (really lets you into the man's life). prrWLtHBOyM

[surajmal]

but getting back to the topic, why is it that India doesn't have any News Channel that reflects the opposite view point. You have the Far Left: CNN/IBN and NDTV, and Left Centre: Times Now and then you have the masala news : aaj tak, and india tv and other non sense. Where is the viewpoint of the right?

[ravishingravi]

Her interviews were awesome. Not like the nutjobs you have on TVs today, like they would ask the question and stop/interject the interviewee in the middle of the response. She would actually let the interview be about the subject. Her interview with Atal Bihari Vajpayee is must see TV (really lets you into the man's life). prrWLtHBOyM

Indeed ZAXDK5V8lJI&feature=related

[Mariyam]

but getting back to the topic, why is it that India doesn't have any News Channel that reflects the opposite view point. You have the Far Left: CNN/IBN and NDTV, and Left Centre: Times Now and then you have the masala news : aaj tak, and india tv and other non sense. Where is the viewpoint of the right?

Just for my understanding: why do you term NDTV as a far left channel? I watched the coverage of the Singur land (grab) case, and NDTV in their coverage were very pro-Tata. Unashamedly so. In fact on one of the "We, the people" talk shows on the topic, the CPM representative called the channel an anti-Left anti-people channel. :D These news channels generally take a lot of flak from both ends of the spectrum.

[ravishingravi]

Just for my understanding: why do you term NDTV as a far left channel? I watched the coverage of the Singur land (grab) case, and NDTV in their coverage were very pro-Tata. Unashamedly so. In fact on one of the "We, the people" talk shows on the topic, the CPM representative called the channel an anti-Left anti-people channel. :D These news channels generally take a lot of flak from both ends of the spectrum.

Mariyam, the definition left and the right differs from country to country. What you are talking about is the economic aspect of it, which is pro business, and really all parties more or less on the left here, BJP maybe relatively leaning on the right. In Indian context, political leaning is about religion endorsement and within that we can polarize it down to majority chest thumping and minority appeasement. The latter for some odd reason are secular. They are pseudo secularist imo and NDTV in that context is well and truly on the left even going to the point of the most obvious propoganda. I am not sure if we have a right leaning news channel in this country, so not sure about attacks from both ends of the spectrum.

[surajmal]

Just for my understanding: why do you term NDTV as a far left channel? I watched the coverage of the Singur land (grab) case, and NDTV in their coverage were very pro-Tata. Unashamedly so. In fact on one of the "We, the people" talk shows on the topic, the CPM representative called the channel an anti-Left anti-people channel. :D These news channels generally take a lot of flak from both ends of the spectrum.

Thanks to Sonia Gandhi's Congress, News media had been sold to the dogs long time ago. Especially the English news media (CWG scam only slightly exposed that). Ever wonder how a news media of a 75% hindu majority nation is so ANTI HINDU? One would think it would be bad business to antagonize your main consumers. Its the money funneling through from middle east and the west...

[Guest Gunner]

Thanks to Sonia Gandhi's Congress, News media had been sold to the dogs long time ago. Especially the English news media (CWG scam only slightly exposed that). Ever wonder how a news media of a 75% hindu majority nation is so ANTI HINDU? One would think it would be bad business to antagonize your main consumers. Its the money funneling through from middle east and the west...

I am curious about this statement, in what way do you find them to be anti-hindu? I just find them naive and childish, most of the statements they make are regurgitations of what politicians say. I don't believe that the media in India is truly independent.

[Mariyam]

Mariyam' date=' the definition left and the right differs from country to country. What you are talking about is the economic aspect of it, which is pro business, and really all parties more or less on the left here, BJP maybe relatively leaning on the right. In Indian context, political leaning is about religion endorsement and within that we can polarize it down to majority chest thumping and minority appeasement. The latter for some odd reason are secular. They are pseudo secularist imo and NDTV in that context is well and truly on the left even going to the point of the most obvious propoganda. I am not sure if we have a right leaning news channel in this country, so not sure about attacks from both ends of the spectrum.[/quote'] Ravi, your reply isn't clear. But I think that you got this one wrong ( and thats very rare of you, I dare add). The left is a political entity based on an economic premise. The two aspects - political and economic aren't disjoint. I too watch the same news channels, read the same papers as you do. In fact I read the Bombay Times twice everyday. I find no such bias at all. Let me just tell you this, The right wing Hindu organizations call the English language media as anti-Hindu. The leftists call the same channels as anti-Left/ anti-people And guess what, any right wing Muslim organization will term the same channel as anti-Muslim too ( showing Muslims in a bad light, give Muslims a bad name etc etc etc). I tell such Muslims the same thing I'll tell you now: We don't need a channel or an external body to give us a bad name. We Muslims are pretty capable ( and responsible) of that without any help from the media. :D Thats true for other communities too. See any talk show on NDTV around the time Babri verdict was released. All parties were united in their stand against the media. :D They are the common punching bags, because they ask uncomfortable questions. Surely, the channels cannot be anti-everybody. Where is the disconnect? Can you point out instances where you think NDTV ( for eg) was anti Hindu? I think the channels do a fair job, quite independent of govt control and some of their attempts at investigative journalism. :hatsoff: to them.

[Guest Gunner]

I tell such Muslims the same thing I'll tell you now: We don't need a channel or an external body to give us a bad name. We Muslims are pretty capable ( and responsible) of that without any help from the media. :D Thats true for other communities too.

I like what you said here. No one needs an external agency to do any damage to one another. Further, I also find it pitiable that as human beings we tend to think of ourselves as these monolithic blocs split on the basis of religion whereas the reality is we are one species who are fighting the odds to survive in this lonely Universe. If we annihilate each other nature will have to try again with another species. Ok, beyond the psychedelic rambling, what I am saying essentially is that we have to get over this siege mentality.

See any talk show on NDTV around the time Babri verdict was released. All parties were united in their stand against the media. :D They are the common punching bags, because they ask uncomfortable questions. Surely, the channels cannot be anti-everybody. Where is the disconnect? Can you point out instances where you think NDTV ( for eg) was anti Hindu? I think the channels do a fair job, quite independent of govt control and some of their attempts at investigative journalism. :hatsoff: to them.

I don't agree with this. When all those tape scandals broke out, there was this brilliant article by some guy who was part of the journalist's guild who explained how all the media houses prevented the guild from investigating or discussing how people like Vir Sanghvi etc had played a despicable role in the scandal. This was possible because the very same media houses who were implicated are also members of the guild and in India self-regulation :fail:s. I believe that the Indian media is as corrupt as every other institution in this country. I know your original response wasn't directed at me but I felt like responding to this, sorry to butt in.

[ravishingravi]

Ravi' date=' your reply isn't clear. But I think that you got this one wrong ( and thats very rare of you, I dare add). The left is a political entity based on an economic premise. The two aspects - political and economic [b']aren't disjoint.

I think they are atleast in India. For instance if we juxtapose our scenario with US, where Right wing i.e Republican or tea party reprsnts a more pro capitalist, less govt., more more religion ( christian ) while the left is what termed as "liberals" which wants greater and "better" govt, regulation, medicare, govt. health care, pro abortion etc. They are called progressives there. I don't think the divide is as clear in India. If we look at the Indian scenarion, other than CPM, which for all its redundancy is truly a left party is economic terms and have no mention of "religion" in their manifesto. We look at Congress, they have been by default a socialist party, also courtest of Soviet connections and have gone out of their way to preach secularism. Ofcourse, they manage to preach it in a way that it almost borders communalism. BJP, really was birth child of emergency and really the communion of the anti Congress factions. Yes, RSS was also party to it and they had a prominent right wing, in order to identify itself, but really they have lost it or they have learnt it won't work. It is also a socialist party although less than Congress hence they got voted out and the idea of Hindutva is all but gone. So, realistically speaking there is no right or left wing in terms of economic, but more in terms of way forward from social perspective.

The right wing Hindu organizations call the English language media as anti-Hindu. The leftists call the same channels as anti-Left/ anti-people And guess what, any right wing Muslim organization will term the same channel as anti-Muslim too ( showing Muslims in a bad light, give Muslims a bad name etc etc etc).

Yeah I wouldn't necessarily single out an newspapers for bias. But then again they don't have much news in them. But there is always a subtle leaning in every newspaper. For instance Pioneer has more right wing perspective, The Hindu certainly is more leftist and more scathing on the govt. I was in Kolkata recently, and I thought the newspapers were so blatantly "Murdochish" towards the left. Mamta still is the left.

I tell such Muslims the same thing I'll tell you now: We don't need a channel or an external body to give us a bad name. We Muslims are pretty capable ( and responsible) of that without any help from the media. :D Thats true for other communities too.

Yammi, I am not just talking about hindus and muslims here. I am talking about a basic lack of perspective which unfortunately one sees night after night in cases of channels such as NDTV or CNN Ibn which under the garb of being "secular" reduces every issue to its most "fear mongering" core. To me being secular is about being fair and truthful and if so called RSS terror wing which may have been involved in say of 3 out of 100 terrorist attacks is being blown so out of proportion and equated with the other more apparently serious threats, then firstly there is a clear lack of perspective and emphasis ( as the above article demonstrates ). Second, not all media may be driven through propaganda, some may merely be driven by TRPs and knee jerk reactionary sensationalism. Third, in favour of media it is hard to be right wing if they have to be bias, so rather have the margin of error on the other side. It is a safer option.

See any talk show on NDTV around the time Babri verdict was released. All parties were united in their stand against the media. :D They are the common punching bags, because they ask uncomfortable questions. Surely, the channels cannot be anti-everybody. Where is the disconnect? Can you point out instances where you think NDTV ( for eg) was anti Hindu?

I don't think they ( media ) do fair job. In fact, I think they just outright suck forget about their right or left leaning. They certainly don't ask tough questions other than a few exceptions. They are merely interested in raising the pitch of the discussion and grabbing your attention. So, yeah if they are common punching bags because they suck and are disengenuous to us, the people, then yeah I am with them. As for NDTV, lets talk about the Babri verdict coverage since you mention it. Barkha Dutt kept talking about how the decision was "unfair" or muslims might feel "disgruntled" at a very very critical juncture for our nation. It was really a testing time for the idea of India notwithstanding the actual decisions. Firstly, it is her primary job to report, not be an opinion maker. But if she wants to be, surely she should understand delicate nature of the situation. Yeah she called for calm but then told you were screwed and unhappy. Other than Javed Saab and Rohatgi ( brilliant lawyer imo ), I can't recall anyone understanding the importance of that moment. Ofcourse, it is no co incidence that NDTV is the only news channel from India to be broadcast in Pak. I can cite case after case Mariyam. Its 8 O Clock right now here. From 8 to 11, the charade will begin. There are exceptions, but I merely ask for "honest" journalism which is hard to get.

[Alchemist]

As for NDTV, this is what I know. Last Gujrat election, they were definately anti-Modi. They would have all these analysts and reports on how Congress is going to win and all. They were so gaga over it that at one point you could see the smile on the hosts face. It seemed that they were in a Celebration mode for a congress win. When the results were out, the only thing they tallked about was how the people have made a wrong choice and how Gujrat is in danger for their choice. You could also feel a kind of mourning going on. This to me is bad. Today, journalism has become a money making business. News channels, instead of reporting news, also report their views on each situation. There is no need for that. Few years ago, I wouldn't have imagined that I would be saying this, but in current situation, I prefer Doordarshan news over other channels.