Guilty: Page 1. Not Guilty: Page 14

Am reorganizing an earlier blogpost to better capture the coverage in The Hindu over the past one week. 


The Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team that investigated certain complaints about Narendra Modi's role in fomenting the 2002 riots submitted it's report to the court and the petitioner. A separate post (or maybe multiple posts) are in order to detail the timelines etc. One of the things that the petitioners did was to ask the Supreme Court to appoint an "amicus curiae". He will give his opinion on the report. On Monday May 7th, 2012, that "opinion" was published everywhere. A totally misleading headline on the front page of The Hindu on Tuesday, May 8th too. .

Front page on the Friday, May 11th, 2012.

Front page on the Saturday, May 12th, 2012

So what happened on Wednesday and Thursday?


Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Nothing on the front pages on Wednesday and Thursday.

And today, Monday, the May 14th, 2012

The SIT report was uploaded here, on the evening of Tuesday, May 8th. Then one would assume that since the report is 547 pages long, perhaps they were still reading it and hence no  front page report. That's where The Hindu surprises you - detailed reports based on SIT's findings in pages 14 and 12 !! 

So if you are guilty based on an "opinion", it is Front Page (note that all three front page items are views and not news). If you are not guilty, based on an "investigation", then it is Page 14 news. Why? 

Earlier too, The Hindu did something similar (you can read about that here). Again, why?


The "letters to the editor" column was also filled with those praising the Hindu or those ridiculing the SIT (barring 1-2 exceptions). Infact some letters were less than 140 characters too! Sample them below:

That's all, Your Honour!: April 29-May 5

Short updates this week. Not feeling too well. 

1. In a tragic accident, more than a 100 people were killed when a ferry in Assam capsized when a storm hit unexpectedly while it was ferrying in the Brahmaputra river. More than 200 people were reported missing also. The ferry was supposed to be carrying more than 400 people. Unfortunately, news about rescue and recovery operations have dried up after a couple of days. We are not yet sure as to how many people have died and how many survived. Meanwhile, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, as is his wont, visited Assam to console the families. This tragedy has also bought into the forefront the little amount of coverage the north-east part of India gets. But as always, nothing came out of this "introspection". 

2. Alex Paul Menon, the district collector of Sukma in Chattisgarh was finally released by those murderous Maoists this week. He was held as a hostage by them for 12 days. While kidnapping him, the murderers killed both his security guards. A negotiating team that comprised of representatives from the government and the murderers could finally secure the release of Alex. Apparently, the only deal reached was to have a relook at the cases filed against some leaders of this murderers. The Chattisgarh CM has also highlighted the urgent need for a hostage negotiation policy to be put in place. With the Maoists daring the governments with their kidnapping and murders, it is infact high time to get something in place. 

3. And lastly, Jaya Bachchan asked the Rajya Sabha Chairam to change her seat. Reason? Because Rekha's seat is right behind her! Rekha was nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha. The question everyone is asking is this - was Rekha nominated (by Sonia Gandhi) just to embarass the Bachchans? That's all, Your Honour! 

అదన్నమాట! ఏప్రిల్ 29 - మే 5

కిందటి వారం మనం ఇంటర్ మీడియాట్ రెండో సంవత్సరం ఫిసిక్స్ పేపర్ మీద ఎంత రభస జరిగిందో చూసాం. అక్కడితో ఆ రభస ఆగలేదు అండి ! ముందు ఇచ్చిన పేపర్ కష్టం గా ఉంది అని చరిత్ర లో మొదటి సారి ఇంప్రూవ్మెంట్ పరీక్ష పెడతాము అన్నారు. అదీ చెప్పిన తరువాత, ఇంప్రూవ్మెంట్ పరీక్ష లో వచ్చిన మార్కులని మాత్రం రాంకుల కోసం పరిగనం లోకి తీసుకోము అన్నారు ! 

ఇంజినీరింగ్ మరియు మెడికల్ సీట్ల కోసం జరిగే కౌన్సిలింగ్ కి ర్యాంకులే ఆధారం. 25% ఇంటర్ మార్కులు, 75% ఎంసెట్ మార్కులు కలిపి ర్యాంకుల్ని ప్రకటిస్తారు. మొదటి దఫా కౌన్సిలింగ్ కోసం మాత్రం పాత మారుకుల్నే పరిగనం లోకి తీసుకుంటాము అని ముంది సెలవు ఇచ్చారు ప్రభుత్వ పెద్దలు. ఇంకా ఎందుకు అండి పరీక్ష పెట్టి ?? ఇంప్రూవ్మెంట్ రాసేది మంచి మార్కులు వస్తాయి అని ఆశ తో! కొంచం పెద్ద దుమారం ఈ రేగింది ఈ విషయం మీద. అప్పుడు మళ్ళి మంత్రులు సమావేశం అయ్యి, ఇంప్రూవ్మెంట్ పరీక్షల ఫలితాలు వచ్చాకే ర్యాంకులు ఇస్తాము అని చెప్పారు. 

మొత్తానికి ఈ సంవత్సరం లక్షలాది విద్యార్ధులకి తిప్పలు తప్పలేదు మరి! అదన్నమాట!

Trysts with MSM - Part 21: "thats not what i say"

MSM stands for Main Stream Media

This will be a short post. I am placing it here just to document, even if the conversation was a short one. Yesterday, I tweeted this: 

The Congress will choose between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari. says @sunetrac http://is.gd/ifk1AW

And below is the snapshot of the conversation that followed.

All I did was to quote what she wrote in her article. Now, I am confused why bother having text in a report if we are to not take it seriously anyway! 

Update: The above snapshot is from yesterday afternoon. I just checked the link again. The wording has been changed to:

That's all, Your Honour!: April 22-28

1. In a major scientific achievement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched their first Radar Imaging satellite (RISAT-1) on their Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C19) last week. This is a major achievement because, with this satellite, we can now image the earth under all weather conditions - rains, night time etc. Up until now, our remote sensing satellites could operate only in clear sky daytime conditions. We were paying Canada to provide us data during monsoons and during night time. Now, we can generate and process our own data. RISAT-1 will help us in obtaining better agricultural data too. Also, radar imaging can help in generating good data during floods. And another important function of this satellite is that it can spy too :). Though the need for a radar satellite was recognised much earlier, various considerations like cost, weight, operations etc took us this long to develop it. Not just these, radar imaging will find many other applications too - terrain mapping, geology, wind patterns along the oceans etc. This satellite has been placed at an orbit of 536kms. 

2. The Election Commission of India has announced bye-elections to 28 seats across the country. Out of these 18 are from Andhra Pradesh only! AP is now gearing up for it's "mini general elections" on June 12. Apart from these 18 seats, 1 lok sabha seat is also up for grabs. 17 MLAs were disqualified (16 from Congress, one from erstwhile PRP) from the assembly for failing to follow their party whip. Chiranjeevi resigned to his seat when he got elected to the Rajya Sabha. The congress party will face a rout in these elections, and therefore we might get to see a big change in the state political scenario after these elections are over. The TDP too is not in a strong enough position to give fight to the fledging YSR Congress party. More blogs on these elections to follow soon. Please stay tuned.

3. And finally, Abhishek Manu Singhvi resigned as the congress party spokesperson and also as the chairman of the standing committee of law, justice and personnel. Phew - what a relief it will be to not see him anymore on TV! That's all, your honour! 

అదన్నమాట! ఏప్రిల్ 22-28

రాష్ట్రం ఈ వార ఒక అనూహ్య పరిణామం చోటు చేసుకుంది. రాజకీయాలకి సంబందించినది కాదు! 

ఇంటర్మీడియట్ రెండో ఏడాది పరీక్షలలో ఈ సారి ఫిసిక్స్ పేపర్ చాల చాలా కష్టం గా ఇచ్చారు అని అన్ని వర్గాల వారు విమర్శించారు. అసలు సిలబస్ లో లేని ప్రశ్నలు చాల ఇచ్చారు అని చెప్పుకొచ్చారు. ఫలితాలు విడుదల అయ్యాయి ఈ మధ్య - రాసిన వాళ్ళలో 31% మంది ఈ పరీక్ష తప్పారు అంట. చాల మంది కి తక్కువ మార్కులు కూడా వచ్చాయి. లక్షలలో రాస్తే, కేవలం దాదాపు 600 మందికే 60 కి 60 వచ్చాయి అంట. దీనితో ఇంకా పెద్ద దుమారం ఈ రేగింది రాష్ట్రం లో. 

కాని మంత్రి గారు మాత్రం ప్రశ్నలు అన్ని ప్రబుత్వం చెప్పిన పుస్తకం నుంచే వచ్చాయి అని చెప్పారు. పేజి నంబర్లతో సహా చూపించారు. ప్రైవేటు కళాశాలలు వాడే పుస్తకాల్లో అలాంటి ప్రశ్నలు లేకపోతె ఎవరిదీ తప్పు అని అడగకనే అడిగారు. అప్పటికి 21 నుంచి 18 కి తగ్గించారు కూడా పాస్ మార్కుని. మంత్రిగారు మాత్రం ససేమిరా అన్నారు, గ్రేసు మార్కులు ఇవ్వడానికి. 

ఇంతలో ఏమైందో - చరిత్ర లో మొదటి సారి, ఇంటర్మీడియట్ రెండో ఏడాది పరీక్షకి కుడా ఇంప్రూవ్మెంట్ పరీక్ష రాసుకునే వెసులుబాటు కలిపించారు. మొదటి ఏడాది విద్యార్దులకే ఇది ఇంత వరకు వర్తిస్తు వచ్చింది. మొదటి ఏడాది వాళ్ళు రాస్తే, అన్ని రాయాలి. కాని ఇప్పుడు, కేవల ఈ ఏడాది కి మాత్రమె, రెండో ఏడాది విద్యార్ధులు ఏ ఒక్క పేపర్ కోసం ఇంప్రూవ్మెంట్ రాసుకోవచు అంట. ఎంసెట్ అయ్యాక ఈ పరీక్ష పెడతారు. ఇంకా ఈ సారి పెట్టబోయే ఫిసిక్స్ పరీక్ష కష్టం గా కాకుండా, సులువు గానే ఇస్తారు అని మనకి అర్ధం అయ్యిపోయింది కదా అండి! 

ఇక పొతే, కేంద్ర ఎన్నికల సంఘం మన రాష్ట్రం లో 18 అసెంబ్లీ స్థానాలకి 1 లోక్ సభ స్థానం కి జరగబోయే ఎన్నికలకి తేది ప్రకటించింది. జూన్ 12 న ఎన్నికలు ! ఇక అన్ని పార్టీలు కసరత్తులు ముమ్మరం చేసాయి. కాని ఈ సారి కూడా కాంగ్రెస్స్ కి, తెదేపా కి భంగపాటు తప్పేటట్టు లేదు. వేచి చూడం మరి ఏమౌతుందో . 

ఇంకో పెను మార్పు - డాక్టర్ రాజశేఖర్ మరియు శ్రీమతి జీవిత రాజశేఖర్ భారతీయ జనత పార్టి లో చేరారు. అదన్నమాట! 

Sachin as an MP - the myth, facts and opinions

Sachin Tendulkar will begin a new innings as a Rajya Sabha MP.

The Myth

Constitutional expert Bhupendra Chaube (no seriously, he is THE expert. Read the details here.) sent a barrage of tweets yesterday. 

"Will we now see " god " of cricket in parliament? Cong proposes sachin tendulkar's name to the rajya saba"

"But frankly, what is it that Sachin can do in Politics at this stage? Bal Thackeray wont forgive him if he takes up cong membership"

"Imagine, Sachin speaking on a contentious issue like Bofors, That will be something"

The extremely well informed Bhupendra Chaube also happens to be the National Bureau Chief of CNN-IBN - you would think all the above is true or might even happen. Now let's get back to some civics lessons that we learnt in school. 

The Facts

The actual strength of the Rajya Sabha is 245 members. 233 of them are elected from various states (by the elected representatives of those states, MLAs/MLCs). 12 of them are nominated by the President (technically the government of the day recommends to the President). The criteria for choosing these members is: 

"...amongst persons having special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art and social service"

These members need not be members of any political party. They are not obliged to join any political party. Infact, these members cannot even vote in the Presidential election. The full list of such nominated members is here. Barring a very few exceptions, we can see that this list is filled with people who are genuine experts in their fields. On a side note, the biggest aberration in this list is that pompous Mani Shankar Aiyar (who needs to be boycotted for reasons mentioned here). 

As you can see, the list has some eminent personalities (artists, scientists, musicians, writers etc) that we easily recognize - M.F.Hussian, Lata Mangeshkar, Dr. Bimal Jalan, Dr. C.Narayana Reddy (from AP), Dr. Raja Ramanna, Prof. M.S.Swaminathan etc. When I took a look at the list, I also realised that there are so many experts on which we had no idea about :(. More reading beckons on these experts. 

Most of these members have not joined any political party. Sadly, most of these members haven't participated in any debates; haven't asked any questions related to their field; and their fields haven't benefitted much from their elevation to this position. This calls for a healthy debate on some guidelines to be set for such nominated members. This cannot be a honorary post by any means. But that debate is for another day. 

So the government of the day is entitled to nominate persons having special knowledge in the aforementioned fields. Sachin Tendulkar does not fit into any of those fields. I am not sure if the above fields are binding by law though.

We therefore now busted the first two myths by the constitutional expert Bhupendra Chaube. It is the government that proposes, not any party. And Sachin hasn't joined any political party (as of now). Being a nominated member of Rajya Sabha does not amount to joining politics. Mere speculations by people in responsible positions will do no good - but we are digressing. 

The opinions.

Now let's come to the third myth. It is not necessary for every member to talk about every single issue in Parliament. Sadly, our members of Parliament are not as intelligent as these news anchors to have a strong opinion on anything and everything under the sun. Second and most importantly - why should Sachin (or anyone who is an expert in another field) not have an opinion on Bofors? Why the contempt that people from one background cannot have an opinion on other aspects of public life? 

Sachin Tendulkar met Sonia Gandhi yesterday. Only ESPN-Cricinfo mentions that he met the Prime Minister too. No other news outlet mentioned this. After these meetings, the announcement came that Sachin has been recommended to the Rajya Sabha. In this backdrop, it is but natural to assume that the appointment had political overtunes. Is the Congress party trying to gain political mileage with this? I have no doubt in my mind that it is trying to do it. Soon it will take credit for giving representation to the aspirations of the youth etc. 

Does Sachin have political aspirations? Is he joining the congress party? We don't know yet. If he does, my personal respect towards him as a person will come down a bit (not that it matters). The exalted position I (and many) hold him as a player will not diminish even by a wee bit. 

But what will he do in the Rajya Sabha? This is an opportunity for Sachin to voice the problems of sports exclusively. He has been nominated from this field, and this is his golden opportunity to bring about changes in sports (and not just cricket) in the country. Will he be able to take such a lead role? His past record as a leader does not inspire confidence for sure. But shouldn't we wait for a while before judging him? 

Should he have accepted the invitation? Frankly, upon first hearing this, I was disappointed. But upon reflecting, there is really no reason to judge his decision currently. We will know if it was the right decision or not, 6 years from now. 

The outrage though is primarily because the depths to which the congress party has plunged the polity in our country. Anyone who is remotely seen as being associated with the party automatically have to face a huge backlash. Like some fellow tweeters commented, the outrage has some political message in it too - anyone associating themselves with the congress now will be seen as taboo too. It is important to debate the pathetic leadership that bought us to this stage. 

The outrage against this perceived political affliation towards Congress aside, the other disturbing thing is the outrage against him personally. He never asked for the demi-god status many of us accorded him. No one is perfect in this world. His actions in asking for tax rebates etc might not be inspiring but surely those are no cause to pour bile on him? Some question if he will play or attend the Rajya Sabha when it is in session. Don't we all know that it is not mandatory to attend the house every single day? This Prime Minister himself doesn't do it, why this unfair expectation from Sachin then? 

By being a member of Parliament, Sachin has now entered the sphere of public service. He is and must be accountable for his stint in the Rajya Sabha. If he doesn't perform, let's question him about it. But I'd suggest that we a little bit patient about this too. 

And lastly, the media

TV media as expected went agog with this news. They were entirely successful in conveying the message that Sachin can now be equated with the congress party. Congress party might even gain electorally with this, given the huge amount of fan following he has (any additional votes are welcome to the congress kitty!). Even regional media front-paged/headlined this news item. Though, it was not a banner headline in the newspapers. 

Along with Sachin, actor Rekha and activist Aga (who is a member of the Sonia Gandhi led NAC) were also nominated.Fat chance that many even know about Aga (or for that matter there is a nomination process!). Those who follow me on twitter know very well about MAA Music channel :). Today morning, the anchor on MAA Music was thrilled at Sachin's appointment and views this as an honour to him by our government. Congress ka goal achieved :D 

RTE - more recommended reading

Frankly, am tired of the romantic and rhetorical articles in the media on RTE. They are still continuing the "private schools are wrong" tirade. Sample this today:

"Forget the misplaced angst of private schools,...."

And then the mandatory "disclaimer"

"This is not to deny that there will be challenges faced by all concerned — school managements, teachers, parents and children — in enforcing the law both in letter and in spirit. "

But then they will not write what these challenges are.

I am documenting below, some of the articles written by bloggers, explaining many details and facets of this RTE. Please take some time out and read all of them to gain a proper understanding of this act.

• Is the RTE really for the poor? by RealityCheckIndia - http://realitycheck.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/is-the-right-to-education-quota-really-for-the-poor/
• Here, the author first gives an exhaustive list of the media narrative on this act. He then goes on to demolish the oft repeated myth/lie that the "poor" are actually benefited.
• Analysis of the RTE Judgment: Part I – The Question of Severability by Dilip -  http://centreright.in/2012/04/analysis-of-the-rte-judgment-part-i-the-question-of-severability/#.T5jPZqV_7YE
• Here the author explains in great detail on how the SC judgement is flawed, because it is to "severe" out a part of the act. Either RTE applies for all, or it applies for none
• The Devil is in the Detail by yours truly :). I know it is a shameless plug, but nevertheless :)  http://www.serious--fun.blogspot.in/2012/04/right-to-education-act-devil-is-in.html
• I talk about the arbitariness that is written all over the place, in this specific act of RTE2009. Just why is Kapil Sibal in a hurry? 
• RTE - The implementation question by Kesava -  http://centreright.in/2012/04/rte-the-imeplementation-question/#.T5jQoqV_73Y
• Here, the author makes great points on the question of implementing this act. The author suggests some good solutions too. Something main media hasn't done so far.
• RTE - The death knell for Indian educationby Right Wing Indian -  http://centreright.in/2012/04/rte-the-death-knell-for-the-indian-education-system/#.T5jRf6V_73Y
• Here the author explains how govt. is shirking it's responsibility, the minority politics associated and the experimentation with kids
• Right to Education is the wrong thing for the right reason -  http://m.economictimes.com/opinion/comments-analysis/right-to-education-is-the-wrong-thing-for-the-right-reason/articleshow/12831571.cms
• One of those rare articles in the main stream media. Talks about the problems private schools will face; talks about the arbitary teacher selection criteria
• Right to Education skirts real issues, harms private rights -  http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/item/51456-right-to-education-skirts-real-issues-harms-private-rights.html
• Again talks about private schools, infrastructure etc
• Supreme Court has erred - Editorial in Pioneer -  http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/item/51423-supreme-court-has-erred.html
• Talks about the judgement and also the implementation problems. 

This list is so far the only articles I could find that discuss the other side of the rhetoric/romantic points made in the main stream. Please share any other good articles (content based please, either for or against) and will be more than happy to put them up here. 

That's all, your honour!: April 15-21

1. India successfully test fired nuclear capable Agni-5 missile this week. This missile was entirely designed by DRDO and has a range of more than 5000 kms. With this launch, India is now just one of the five countries that have the inter continental ballistic missile technology. The mission was flawless and more details can be read here. 

2. In another dastardly act, Maoists kidnapped a district collector in Chattisgarh. Mr. Alex Paul Menon was kidnapped after his two security guards were killed by these murderous Maoists. Mr. Menon was meeting villagers in tribal areas when the kidnapping happened. Maoists in Odisha recently kidnapped (and released) two Italian hostages. They are still holding a MLA as hostage. And now, after killing the innocent security guards, these people have kidnapped a serving officer of the government too. Sadly, none of the commentary in the mainstream media is condemning these murderous actions by the Maoists. When a Maoist is arrested/killed, we see pages of articles writing how the State is denouncing human rights etc etc. But when these folks resort to murder most humiliating, then no one speaks or writes against them. Why, your honour? Just what explains this silence? 

అదన్నమాట! ఏప్రిల్ 15-21

కాంగ్రెస్ అధిష్టానం వారు ఈ వారం ఇంకో నాయకుడుని ఇక్కడికి పంపిచారు. శ్రీ వాయలార్ రవి గారు డిల్లి నుంచి వచ్చారు. నాలుగు రోజులు ఉన్నారు. చాలా మంది నాయకుల్ని కలిసారు. అందరు అవే సమస్యలు మళ్ళి మళ్ళి వివరించారు. బొత్స గారు, కిరణ్ గారు సరిగ్గా నడిపించటం లేదు అనేది వారి సారంశం. ఈ పాత మనం ఎప్పటి నుంచో వింటూనే ఉన్నాం. కొత్త ఏమి ఉంది చెప్పండి ! పోనీ రవి గారు ఏమైనా కొత్త పరిష్కారం చూపించార అంటే, అదీ లేదు! ఎందుకు వచినత్తో, ఎందుకు వేల్లినత్తో మరి! అధినేత్రి కి నివేదిక ఇవ్వడానికే అయితే, ఆజాద్ గారు ఉన్నారు కదా? కోతగా రవి గారిని ఎందుకు పంపిచారు ? ఉప ఎన్నికలలో గెలవడానికి డిల్లి నుంచి నాయకులు వచ్చి నివేదికలు ఇస్తే ఎలా అండి? నియోజకవర్గం లో ప్రజలతో ఉండండి - గెలిచే అవకాశాలు మెరుగుపడతాయి! అదన్నమాట!