In this episode of NL Hafta, our in-house team of Manisha Pande and Raman Kirpal is joined by two guest panelists — Saikat Dutta, Asiatimes South Asia Editor and Saif Ullah Khan, Deputy Editor of DailyO.
The discussion kicks off with the ‘plot to assassinate the PM’. Manisha asks Saikat, “Are there really ‘urban Naxals’ out there? What is the sense in this term?”
Elaborating on the term, Saikat says, “If you look at Maoist literature…they have a lot of literature on urban warfare but they look at it from a military terminology, where they look at how to conduct urban operations, both, which will include psychological operations, information operations as well as military operations but they look at it from a very military perspective and that kind of literature is available.”
He further says, “Even the Naxals themselves or the Maoists have never talked about anything called ‘urban Maoist’ as a separate phenomenon because for them, class warfare is across — whether rural or urban.” He adds, “This is a deliberate political term which some people of the Right have brought to discredit just about anybody who challenges their narrative.”
Saif speaks of two writers, Arun Ferriera and Vernon Gonsalves, being arrested in 2007 on similar grounds. “Again, some letters were leaked and Arun was supposed to be, according to Maharashtra Police, one of the Communications experts. So he was arrested. And the trial went on for four years. And these leaked letters never even made it to the trial. So it was just about painting a certain narrative of a certain individual. Vernon was arrested in August 2007. And again, the trial went on for seven years. And he was supposed to be one of the people handling the finances of the Maoists.”
He further adds, “Interestingly, there was a Narco analysis that was done on Arun Ferreira in which according to the leaks he had said it was the Shiv Sena and ABVP that had paid them…At that time it was the Congress and 2009 General Elections. Right now, you’re looking at 2019.”
Raman says, “I think it was completely a plant! And 2019 elections, this was more for persecuting people rather than prosecuting.”
Saikat says, “Here you have a plot allegedly to kill the Prime Minister, forget about the NIA, even the Central Bureau of Investigation has not been brought in.” He adds, “Nobody’s talking about bringing in the Intelligence Bureau, nobody’s talking about bringing in the NIA or the CBI. That itself is a great indicator of what this plot is all about.”
Manisha puts across a question to panelists on whether the ‘plot to kill Modi’ news makes up for a propaganda problem or a genuine lacuna in beat reporting.
The discussion then proceeds to AAP’s protest against LG Anil Baijal. Saif assesses the situation from a political prism of how AAP perceives 2019 elections and its role in it. He says, “AAP is trying to use this ploy to gain some headline, to gain some sympathy in the run-up. It is very much a political thing they’re doing keeping 2019 in mind.”
Saikat says, “Their first instinct is to become a victim and play that victim card and seek sympathy.” Expressing serious concern he says, “If the bureaucracy can cook a snook at an elected government with such an overwhelming majority, I think that’s dangerous for democracy. And it shows that the central government can go to any lengths to undermine the opposition.” Raman says that the BJP feared Kejriwal the most when he came in. “So they started building up a narrative around him that this man is chaotic,” he said.
The panel moves on to discuss the mob lynching case of two men in Assam who were mistaken to be ‘child lifters’ following rumours on social media. Manisha asks, “What makes a mob this violent and bloodthirsty?” Saikat talks about the heightened political violence in the times today and says, “What we are seeing today is basically violence beginning to spin out of control and it’s getting to a position where you can’t put the genie back into the bottle”. Raman disagrees and calls it “more of a social problem”.
The panel then discusses Michelin Star Chef Atul Kochhar’s tweet to Priyanka Chopra. Saif says, “His apology should have sufficed…I personally don’t think he should be ostracised on the basis of that tweet”. Saikat shares a contrasting opinion and adds, “Not only was it bigoted but I think the man is completely uneducated.”
While our panel finds nothing wrong in the picture posted by a group of current and former AMU students on social media of them drinking beer, the AMU student body feels the picture hurts religious sentiments. On talking about the measures taken by the administration of AMU in this matter, Saif feels the issue “had got nothing to do with the campus” and the administration “had no role in it”. He also mentions, “It doesn’t go with the spirit of AMU at all”. Saikat concurs and adds, “What I eat, what I drink, whether it is in public or in private, it is my business”. Raman sees the issue as more of an “issue of assertion”. Listen up!
Recommendations
Raman Kirpal
Book: The Panama Papers: Breaking the Story of How the Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money
Why the letter about a ‘Rajiv Gandhi’ – type assassination plot to kill Modi is fake
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