Zardari in trouble

Who’s afraid of an Indian Spring?
This refers to the report ‘Kapil Sibal cannot screen this report’ (December 7). A Facebook page mocking Congress president Sonia Gandhi is said to have provoked the telecommunications minister to ask social media networking sites to screen content. Sibal also said that the government will create new guidelines to remove offensive content from internet sites. Google’s Transparency Report said that all requests to Google for removal of content from developed countries relate to violation of specific local laws while requests made by India are random, widespread, have little to do with violations of Indian law and more to do with a general national affinity for being prickly, petty and insecure. It is learnt that during the Anna Hazare movement, Sibal summoned representatives of social networking sites and leaving no room for discussion curtly told them: “I don’t want any anti-government stuff on your networks. Fix it.” Should this be the way the world’s largest democracy treats the largest democratic forum of freedom of expression? Social networking sites or the media have no obligation to throttle genuine criticism of the Congress’s first family, party or government. For defamatory content, the party is all free to take legal course available according to Indian law. If it is afraid of an Indian Spring, autocracy should be the last thing it should resort to.
—MC Joshi, Lucknow
 
Anna and the fast
This is with reference to ‘Biggest note of dissent comes from Anna’ (December 8). It is proved beyond doubt that Anna and his team is a conglomeration of disgruntled people from society. By justifying violence of any kind, Anna’s hypocritical pseudo-Gandhian non-violence is coming to light. They are posing as if protecting the interest of the common man is a responsibility bestowed upon them by God. So they are interfering in every matter using pressure tactics as a weapon. Here they should understand that if the power of a mob is used indiscriminately, it boomerangs on the user. As a wise man, Anna should know by now that threatening to go on fast frequently will make it lose its grandeur, sanctity and holiness and may result to be a mockery.
—RM Deshpande, Delhi

II
It’s a half truth when Anna says that Pawar protects the corrupt. The whole truth is the symbiotic relationship that exists between the two. Why does Pawar protect the corrupt? Because he also needs to be supported in times of need. It is a kind of mutual back-scratching. In the heart of hearts, even a simpleton knows by now who is what. But mum’s the word and his loyalty hinges on the crumbs of occasional gain thrown at him. Who says that all of Pawar supporters are with him because he is looked upon as an angel? At best he may be posing as Santa Claus to distribute, on the sly, little gifts to his children to retain their love and support. In a coterie of this kind, nobody verbalises anything, everybody has to understand it, take the cue, and fall in line, or face summary expulsion. Obviously, it is Pawar’s guilty conscience that makes him fear another attack for which he shrewdly said that people will know whom to hold responsible. Pawar’s men are notorious all over for repeated violence, not Anna’s. It is often the thief who shouts the loudest in an attempt to escape.
—KK Wajge, Mumbai
 
2-child norm for netas?
After reading the news item about the disqualification of a corporator in Mumbai for having three children, an interesting thought crossed my mind. If the two-child norm is made applicable to Lok Sabha members too, the first one to lose his membership would be the strong man from the cow belt who has served as a Cabinet minister as well as CM of his state. He is one of the leaders of a supporting party of the ruling UPA II and is the proud father of seven children.
—Vineet Phadtare, via email
 
Media ethics
This refers to the alleged involvement of journalist Jigna Vora in the murder of another journalist J Dey, on account of professional rivalry (‘Vora’s Dey murder link exposed on Aug 4,’ December 8). It is frightening to see both print and electronic media are in the grip of a fierce competition and rivalry in news reporting.  Various newspapers and news channels are vying with each other to score a scoop. The TV news channels sensationalise every issue with an eye on TRPs. Veracity is often sacrificed for speed. Journalistic ethics are thrown to the winds. At this rate, TV News Channels may soon ‘create’ their own sensational stories in order to be the first to report them and score over their rivals. This was depicted in Irving Wallace’s novel The Almighty very accurately. Worse still, the journalists may do anything to ‘kill’ the stories of their friends from a rival organisation. The Vora episode is a pointer to this dangerous trend and the media should introspect over this.
—VM Swaraj, Chennai

Zardari in trouble
Feigning illness and citing medical grounds in the face of a political or legal crisis is a pretext extensively employed by politicians in India. But it’s not surprising to see that the health of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari deteriorated in the face of a judicial inquiry regarding his involvement in Memogate because of which he is likely to face the wrath of Pakistan’s powerful Army. Zardari is now in a Dubai hospital for medical treatment. The history of independent Pakistan is replete with overthrows, coups and assassinations and it seems history is set to repeat itself one way or the other. Democracy has been the biggest casualty in the tug of war between successive civilian and military rule in the country.
—Zulfikhar Akram, Bangalore