Karan Thapar is a columnist at Hindustan Times. In a Dec 29th piece titled “Modification of Politics,” I came across one of the most clever euphemisms for assassination. If you thought his ‘modification’ in the title of his piece was oh-so-clever, wait till you read how he phrases Modi’s murder. He calls it “the sudden removal of Modi”.
The context is that he is concerned about the growth of “moditva” and speculates that regional political parties will be forced to side with “Modi or Sonia, in the saffron camp or the liberal/secular one.” The Acorn asks “Why doesn’t Karan Thapar dare to call anti-Hindutva by its name?” and points out that “neither Sonia Gandhi, nor the Left nor any of the regional parties are truly secular. And they are far from being “liberal”.” The Acorn is right on the money.
The English language media is fairly pathetic. Many of the columnists like Thapar are bhade kay tattoo, eagerly carrying water for the establishment. But there are surprising exceptions. Take Swapan Dasgupta’s column in the Times of India of 30th Dec titled “The Modi Charishma“. A Bong last name like “Dasgupta” to me usually signals extreme prejudice — commies generally. Dasgupta is a welcome exception. He ends his piece with
The Gujarat model is not in conflict with the Bharat model. What has clicked in Gujarat is a leadership style built on innovation, dedication and a resolute defiance of a compromised Establishment. A Modi folklore has been created around an Angry Middle-aged Man with a 56-inch chest.
It has corresponded with subliminal perceptions of good leadership. And the Gujarat voter is no different from the Indian voter.
Modi has aroused great expectations. His political opponents will want him to be confined to Gujarat forever; the Establishment wouldn’t mind him in Race Course Road as long as he removes some of his vital organs surgically.
Let’s hope Modi stays the course. Let’s hope he injects politics with a dose of freshness.
Amen.
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