We cannot expect marginalised people to adhere to democratic processes when the democracy they live in offers them absolutely no benefits. I think the key statement in her (Shoma Chaudhury’s) analysis was that these people seem to prefer a gruesome death to slow starvation and acute deprivation.

Perhaps the state and the media need to try and understand why they think this way. I really believe that failure to provide for the basic needs of the country’s poorest is the biggest failure of India’s democracy.

I think what Shoma also suggests through Arnab Goswami’s example — though I think it cuts across channels and media — is the absolute callousness of the urban media towards the issues of rural India. I see it as a reflection of the apathy of the middle and upper classes to the voiceless masses. To think the so-called issues we sit and debate on prime time news is whether Rahul Gandhi should have travelled by train or not, whether Shashi Tharoor should be allowed to describe economy class travel as cattle class or not, whether Air India pilots should get paid Rs. 3 lakh or Rs. 6 lakh, whether Shivaji’s statue should be built or not!

Perhaps all this seems like ineffective ranting, but the truth is, we as the media have no conscience or commitment — in fact, I feel like laughing when self-righteous journalists question politicians about their integrity.

You might agree with her fully, partly or not at all. You might say she has let off the Naxalites by suggesting that most of them are poor tribals driven to arms by deprivation. That might be a very unpopular place to be in especially when Naxals are showing new signs of Talibanisation with such as chilling new methods as decapitating abducted policemen.

Home Minister P  Chidambaram”s speech part reproduced by the Indian Express today might answer some of the questions that Shoma raises but one basic question still remains:  Why are we letting the government launch a risky operation without asking enough questions of its strategy post “reclaiming” of the territories?

Is the mainstream media too eager to back the government? Are we jumping into this without the wisdom of adequate debate?

Let’s debate that.

You can either append your comments to this post or, if you want to post your own, write to me at padmabv@hotmail.com so that I can give you a username and password as a contributor.

B V Rao

Administrator