The following article was written for OpIndia. Pasting it here for reference:
Shekhar Gupta printed an extremely motivated and ill-argued article by Tunku Varadarajan. He then took to Twitter to summarize the article in one tweet :
5 things @tunkuv says Modi shd learn from Virat Kohli: 1. do, not just talk 2. Be be gracious to rivals 3. Talk to media 4. Remember politics us a team sport & 5. Have some fun theprint.in/2018/02/12/nar…
The first thing one notices is the irony of Tunku Varadarajan talking about being “gracious” and a “team sport”. He had recently used abusive language against the World Cup-winning India cricket team of the blind. So there goes his own “graciousness” for a toss. He has blocked several people on social media, merely for disagreeing with him. There goes, yet again, his “gracious to rivals” advise for a toss.
Nevertheless, many points immediately came to my mind regarding these “5 things Modi must learn”. So let’s go over them one by one.
1. DO NOT JUST TALK.
I don’t need to delve into details yet again because this article in OpIndia summarizes well the 9 things that NDA did much better than the UPA. I’d doubt if either Shekhar Gupta or Tunku Varadarajan will even bother to do some serious research, so let’s leave it at that.
2. BE GRACIOUS TO RIVALS.
Prime Minister Modi, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, has acknowledged the work of all past Prime Ministers of the country. All of them. He has also acknowledged the work of all state governments. Needless to say, there are multiple political parties that have ruled in various states of India. Would that count as graciousness, Mr Shekhar Gupta?
Prime Minister Modi, has invited former Prime Ministers Deve Gowda and Dr Manmohan Singh, to join him on the dias when GST was being inaugurated. GST is the single biggest tax reform our country ever saw, and it involved the work of many political parties. When Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister, GST was not even under consideration. Yet, Prime Minister Modi invited him. Guess who chose to boycott the event? Your favourite poster boy, Dr Manmohan Singh. Who is being gracious and who is not being gracious, Mr Shekhar Gupta?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has ensured there is always a representation from the Central government for every single swearing-in ceremony of every new state government that took over. After acrimonious election campaigns, he ensured that the maryada of politics still remains. Senior central cabinet ministers were present in the searing in ceremonies of Arvind Kejriwal, Nitish Kumar, Mamta Banerjee etc. Would that count as graciousness, Mr Shekhar Gupta?
A graphic was doing the rounds in the year 2016. I did a version of it while writing for another website Myind makers. Am pasting it below for your reference, Mr Shekhar Gupta.
Am also posting here, what I wrote in that article – “Please notice the active presence of several high profile Union Ministers on the stage in 2016. Despite the Congress party ruling in Karnataka, the central government didn’t see that as an impediment to go and actively participate in the 2016 summit!” And note the absence of similar leaders in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit of 2013
Now, who is gracious and who is not Mr Shekhar Gupta?
3. TALK TO MEDIA.
Unless you don’t consider The Tribune, PTI, Network 18, Indian Express, India Today network, Zee News, Times Now, CNN, Hindustan Times, Dainik Jagran, Nai Duniya, Hindusthan Samachar, UNI, ANI, Time Magazine, CNN – as media, then I give it to you Mr Shekhar Gupta, the Prime Minister is indeed not talking to the media.
Perhaps you should come clean on who you think constitute ‘the media’, and who you think don’t. Because ordinary mortals like me still think the above-mentioned organizations are media. And ordinary mortals like me are keen to know why do you want to go about spreading this lie, Mr Shekhar Gupta, that the PM doesn’t talk to the media? Is it because he doesn’t talk to your friends and instead talks to some real journalists?
4. REMEMBER POLITICS IS A TEAM SPORT
Oh, if you didn’t tell this to the PM, he would have never known! Remember the concept of Team India? Remember this picture, Mr Shekhar Gupta?
You are an experienced journalist, Mr Shekhar Gupta, so I don’t need to tell you the names and party affiliations of the various Chief Ministers in this picture. Do you know when this picture was taken, Mr Shekhar Gupta? Immediately after this meeting. In the year 2014 – much before you and your ilk’s imagination could conjure up a suggestion of a team sport!
Would you also want to know who played spoilsport to this idea of Team India? Your favourite party, the Congress party!
We are now eagerly awaiting an article from you on the graciousness and team spirit of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Hopefully, in this lifetime, we will get to see one article!
5. HAVE SOME FUN
Guess what – he does. So perhaps time for you to stop writing and have only fun!
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