Shiban Khaibri
In the scrimmage of lies versus the facts , if some journalists choose to remain ‘neutral’, unconcerned and conveniently silent, they better not call themselves as protectors of values of democracy, transparency and champions of accountability but pure businessmen interested in making profits alone. A lot of responsibility lies on writers, reporters, commentators, analysts and the like in opposing , contesting and honestly but forcefully preventing with their mighty pen depredation and spoliation of facts. Before this writer proceeds with unfolding of the theme vividly, a story read in School days is apt to be shared. A spoilt boy sent by a poor but intelligent farmer to a city for studies would fritter away hard earned money sent by his father and paid no attention to his studies and failed in exams. When he returned to the village , his father asked him what had he learnt very special in his school as he suspected not only something black in lintel but the entire stuff as black. The crafty boy tried to bluff him by saying that he had learnt such type of mathematics where one plus one would make three. His father saw through the trick of his son advising him to go around the village, meet his friends and return by the dinner time . He had got two chicken roasted for the dinner , the fact kept secret to the boy. When dinner was served , three thalis were having boiled rice with two chicken , one each in the thalis of the parents . The boy asked where his Chicken was. The father resolutely reminded him about the “new theorem” learnt by him at school and asked him to “relish” the rice with that “third” chicken. The mischievous boy got the desired response to his bluff.
Now, the actual one which this writer shockingly watched. More shocking and stunning was that none from the “select audience” of at least more than a hundred called the bluff of the self styled honest , sincere , hard working and messiah of the poor , Chief Minister of Delhi Kejriwal who was discussing in a live TV programme about how Modi Ji arranged “writing off” the huge outstanding of Bank loans of fugitive wilful defaulter borrower Vijay Malia. “If Modi Ji can write off hundreds of crores of Rupees of Malia , why cannot he do the same for poor farmers”, asked Kejriwal , not allowing the anchor even to ask him to pause. While exploding this “find ” to defame and pin down Modi , he would look at the audience for overwhelming response and clapping too , he got a few “encouraging” claps to his less than required level of satisfaction. Anyhow, the anchor managed to clarify that the amount was not written off and before he would speak to clarify the point , the well trained CM did not allow him and asked him “OK, not written off but waived or whatever , why only for rich and why not for the poor” was another salvo from him. The anchor clarified further ” it is an entry from one account or system to the other”. He shot him back, “Aray vahi entry tuo gariboon kisanoon kay liye kyon nahin, un key bhi aisey entries karo…” The sentence hardly needs any translation. Whatever further he said hardly needs to be evaluated in terms of truth and facts.
Anyway, going by the famous saying of Shakespeare, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow , as the night the day , thou canst not then be false to any man…” It is not that Kejriwal did not know what he spoke , how he twisted the facts and how he presented a potato for an apple but how the entire audience was led to believe and thousands others who watched either directly on the TV screens or through social media that really Modi Ji had robbed peoples’ money (as Kejriwal repeatedly referred to ) for benefitting a rich baron but cared naught for poor farmers. The fact of the matter , Mr. Kejriwal must be knowing is that the entries for poor farmers and others too are made in the same fashion as in Malia or anyone else, the moment loan account is classified as an ” NPA” or a non performing asset. In the system for doing so, neither the PM, nor the FM or any authority can intervene hence the charge that the amount had been written off or waived is a white lie and laden with mischievous and dirty political ambitions. Had this writer been in the audience, the CM would have got pointed reply, nay clarification so that falsehood and wrong messages did not travel fast and illogical inferences were not drawn. Kejriwal needs to upgrade his elementary knowledge about Banking, in particular about Income Recognition Norms and Assets Classifications and Non Performing Assets and then start commenting upon issues under reference.
If for a few months, one does not operate upon one’s savings bank account even, the account is transferred to another account known as Dormant Account and cannot be operated upon unless some formalities were completed but that does not mean the Bank had “eaten away” some poor person’s money. In the same way, passing entries commensurate with the health of an asset account or loan account in the books of the Bank backed by full provisioning does not constitute any write off or waiver and spreading falsehood means nothing short of smacking of an agenda of hate, misdemeanour and fibbing . In the same fashion are other lies and series of misinformation spread. One of them is suppression of dissent and muzzling of free speech. The charge in itself is contradictory in that even after speaking lies with impunity and that also against the Prime Minister as in the instant case , neither any “suppressive action” was taken against Kejriwal nor even a contradiction issued.
Modi Ji has nearly completed five splendid and highly performing years in office and with his tirade against corruption and other evils and ills in the system with intent to bring more transparency , many persons started feeling ill at ease and surprisingly each of these five years has sent, in one or the other form – groups, gangs and elements in jittery , edgy and overwrought to oppose, malign, criticise, demean and even mock him and his great amount of work. In between first and second year we had “Award Wapsi Gang”, In the third year , we had “Tukday Tukdey Gang”, In the fourth year , we had “Not in my name Gang” and in the fifth , we are confronted with “Saboot Mangey Gang”. This Saboot Mangey Gang had sprouted immediately after the first surgical strike in 2016 against Pakistan but now it has widened its tentacles in strength and measure after the resolute , firm and decisive leadership of the Prime Minister in ordering surgical strikes of massive scale deep into the terror hubs in Pakistan to avenge February 14 Pulwama terror attack. While Pakistan being in a piquant position of neither swallowing the severe beating nor uncovering its back to show no red signs of the harsh lashes but “Saboot Mangey Gang” in India has come to its rescue .
The problem is not that of any proof etc but how to negate and lower the great impact of the bold and unprecedented decision of a “real” and a befitting Prime Minister on the Indian masses who were used to only bleed, ache, twinge and suffer due to Pakistani sponsored terrorism and never retaliate . Agreed, to show down or just trivialise or ignore the bold decision taken by the Prime Minister to retaliate, the members on the Saboot Mangey Gang say “Why politicise the valour of the armed forces”? When 26/11 or serial bomb blasts shook Delhi , Mumbai etc , why the same armed forces did not retaliate? Obviously, because Modi was not the PM then.
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