Shourie appears totally ignorant of NDTV’s misdeeds
Please, Sree Iyer ji, please gift your book on NDTV Fraud to Arun Shourie, And do it now, just now.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he former economist with the World Bank, once a consultant to the extinct Planning Commission of India, a former Union Minister in Vajpayee’s cabinet, a Padma Bhushan awardee, and a roaring nationalist journalist of yore, needs your book badly to service his muddled mind at age 75 and more.
Shourie appears totally ignorant of NDTV’s misdeeds and misdemeanours so painstakingly revealed in Iyer’s book
Judged by his very recent address to the media at a function of the Press Club of India in Delhi, the man appears to have fallen hook, line and sinker for NDTV founder Prannoy Roy’s public statement that the recent CBI raid on the houses of the hubby-wife founders amounted to “overt pressure” on the media. He opined that the government was intent on gradually extending its domination on all forums of public life.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]C[/dropcap]learly, Shourie is still soaked in the Emergency frame of mind, forgetting the guts and gusto with which Opposition leaders have been permitted to label our honourable Prime Minister as a feku (fraud), a psychopath, and much more; equally, Shourie appears totally ignorant of NDTV’s misdeeds and misdemeanors so painstakingly revealed in Iyer’s book. Once the champion scribe of anti-corruption and clean public life, Shourie has, alas, now looked the other way. And his “battle for media freedom” is absolutely out of tune with the times.
Truly has Shourie turned a villain to those like me who long held him in high regard for his erudition
There are more disturbing facts about the way Shourie’s muddled mind played out in that media event at Delhi on 9th June reported in Mumbai’s ‘Free Press Journal’
Shourie said there that non-cooperation and boycott of ministers were essential ways to fight for freedom of the press. If these words are spoken any time by any professional in any school of journalism, that faculty member would simply be heckled and laughed out because ministers in power are simply foddered or feather caps for journalists vying for controversies, TRPs and print circulation accelerators.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]H[/dropcap]e recalled that when the Rajiv Gandhi government brought the defamation bill, journalists decided to ask every minister at press conferences whether they supported the legislation. If the answer was ‘yes’ or supportive of the bill, he said, the reporters would walk out. Now that may have been true, Shourieji, but wasn’t the defamation law passed then and is still in place? Or have you forgotten the complaint which Arun Jaitley, our Finance Minister, has made out against that Aam Aadmi Party anarchist in a court of law? Do you not watch daily TV debates where, one night, a Congress leader dubbed our nation’s Army Chief as speaking the language of a sadak ka goonda (street goon)? Yes, yes, Shourieji, our media in Modi’s Raj has rarely been as free before as it is now.
Shourie’s advice to journalists not to invite ministers to their function is once again contrary to the self-interest of journalists themselves because, by and large, blacklisting ministers deprives the media of an extensive coverage of their event, besides helping them, or at least some of them, to build bridges with those in power for seeking favours of one kind or another, immediately or later.
Truly has Shourie turned a villain to those like me who long held him in high regard for his erudition, for a soft tongue of the cultured and for all his myriad achievements in the field of journalism, authorship of very meaningful books and as a proponent of disciplined nationalism of the RSS kind.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]I[/dropcap] still remember the polite response he gave me years ago in letter and humbly accepted the enumerated errors of the once-great newspaper he then edited. I still recall his soft interactions with other participants during lunch sessions of a Think Tank meet in Chennai where people like L.K.Advani were invited by a major right wing organization. And I recall how softly and logically he spoke from the dais of a public platform to uphold the cause of the BJP just prior to the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.
It’s undeniable that Arun Shourie has long been a blessing to India. Now, alas, he is slowly turning out to be a curse instead. Whether the cause is the denial of a place in the Modi cabinet (despite two alleged face-to-face interactions with the PM) or for some unknown reason of age etc., Arun Shourie cannot be permitted to play the role of a typical villain as in a Bollywood film. His image must be restored to its pristine stature. He can be as caustic as he wants in his criticism of PM Modi. But let him do so with his grace and softness of yore — and with the facts of logic, political otherwise.
He can begin by writing an inimitable treatise on “Farm Loan Waivers” or a searching syndicated article on the wisdom of M.Swamnahan’s old recommendation of giving our farmers a minimum of 50 per cent profit over the weighted average cost of production as calculated by the government.
Perhaps Sree Iyer’s book is the magic potion he needs to be administered. Now, just now.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
His freelancing career began in "The Times of India" with a sports article published when he was a month shy of 20 years of age. He was also a regular political affairs columnist first for rediff.com for five years or so and then shifted to sify.com. He also wrote extensively for niticentral.com "till it stopped publication."
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I loved Arun Shourie when he was Journalist. I loved & admired him when he was Minister in Central Govt. I am at aghast at 360 degree change in such admired Personality.I have no clue how an admired Personality can change into most hated personality to me. Is he completely blinded in Modi hate bias?
How I wish Mr.Arun Shourie was in PM Mr.Modi’s government .
Why Mr.Shourie could not be accommodated ?
The inside story ?
I would say it has been a India’s loss.
Shourie has gone senile long back. I once admired him for his courage and as a journalist. But of late he has gone nuts. This man is joining hands with Prannoy Roy and bashing Modi govt. on press freedom. What a fall? Now I feel Modi is right to keep this rascal out of the cabinet. This scum was once against Ambanis and after becoming Minister in Vajpayee govt, he was backing those scoundrels.
Srihari, I would rather pass over your mindless blabbering which i assume comes from a deep seated hatred and a poor upbringing.
Mr. Shourie is a person of immense talent and has authored well and deeply researched books. His penultimate book is perhaps one of the finest one that I have read.
I totally disagree with Shourie’ s assessment of Modi and am pained by his vitriolic attack on Mr. Mod, but I would be the first to say that he is a man of impeccable credentials with an intellect of rare capacity. He is a humble person and comes up with such wonderful quotes. I would agree with some of his comments which are reproduced hereunder:
1. When all is said is done, more is said than done.
2. To understand strong leaders like Mrs. Gandhi, Jayalalithaa or Modi, let us distance ourselves from them- there is a principle is Psychology known as the dark triad…..
3. When asked by Thapar- do you mean to say that Modi is dangerous and should be removed; he said ” that would depend on options”. ( we do not have any, in my opinion).
4. On why was he not offered a Minstership, he quotes Faiz:
‘Kuch hum hi ko nahin ehsaan uthane ka dimaag,
woh jab aate hain mail-ba-karam aate hain (I did not want to take on another obligation, whenever she came, she came determined to endow her favours on me)
5. Modi may be an agent of change, but he has to change an entire ocean.
I disagree with the comments made by Mr. Shourie and it pained me immensely that a person who has set such high standards of diligent work and research would resort to such a tirade.
Strong but very good and deserved writeup about Shourie.
Somthing has gone wrong with the guy.
Most likely he has felt insulted due to lack of recognition by NaMo?
But then I feel his misbehaviur started ealier? Ashok D
Sir,Sometimes when a person of Shourie’s caliber misses the bus and has a running difference of views with another of the same group a kind of dementia sets in making him or her loose the direction and velocity of his missile.Is it possible otherwise to call a dedicated Pradhan Sevak of this country ,a dedicated workaholic all that the names you have mentioned in your article? The same Arun shourie praised Modiji sky high during the election tour 3 years ago! of late he has been very critical of his policies,but that does not warrant abusive language and joining forces with the caliber of people from NDTV.He has fallen head down from grace and all his great deeds and writings are wasted.I am personally deeply pained by his attitude in joining forces with looters and rapists of Mother India.
It’s good to respect elders; but when they start becoming destructive and not constructive and endangering the nation its time to crank up the music. He has clearly aligned himself with the anarchists and the enemies of law and order. It’s is time to group him with them and blast him.
This country is moving forward, we can’t waist time with legacies of a bye-gon era if they willingly blind themselves.
Arvindji,, Shourie’s act is the outcome of some deep rooted anger which is being exploited in glee by the bunch of lutyen crooked liberals just as conversion of a “brahmin” to christianity is valued / exploited by the proselytysers/dsert religions.we will go easy on him as he is a good soul gone rogue.