Kumud Shankar Profile picture
Jan 17 11 tweets 5 min read
There is a Tavleen Singh column in Indian Express ‘Developing country dreams’. It could have very well been titled, ‘the subtle Modi-chalisa’. The article seems to come across as a weighed one balancing out Modi’s achievements with his failures. 1/n
The article starts off with Modi’s dream that is soon turned in to THE Indian dream of a developed India superstate. Tavleen then goes on to mention about the ’91 crisis & Rao-MMS partnership that ushered in LPG. If the credit is due to them Ms. Singh, how is it Modi’s dream? 2/n
It is not a politician’s dream, it is the Indian dream, beginning with the middle-class that came into prominence once liberalisation took off. Not Modi’s dream ma’am. For most of us a story is as good as the h/l & the 1st para. That is where the Modi-deification happens & 3/n
an experienced journalist like Tavleen knows where to add her message & where to hide it.
It's an article that establishes a Modi dream – taking credit away from personal ambition & attributing it to One Man. Growing up in Delhi in the mid 90’s, I had not heard of Modi, but 4/n
I saw Bollywood NRI's, I saw Sheila Dixit’s flyovers, Delhi metro, the ship building in Gurgaon & I too dreamt of an Indian superstate. Sorry, no Modi there ma’am. Operation Pokhran, under late A.B Vajpayee was a massive roar that made global headlines. Someone said Modi? 5/n
I-N-D-I-A-N Dream! PM Modi may wish to appropriate as he has attempted with Bhagat Singh, Dr. Ambedkar & Sardar Patel but at best it will be an appropriation.
Coming back to the later part of the article, Ms. Singh mentions about Modi’s dream….being just what they’re, 6/n
a lot of gas in atmosphere. Basically the man with an opinion & a big mouth. No vision, no action there. Her words are gentler, since it is a praise article, but read between the lines. It is all there. I believe every Gujarati & Punjabi would know what is good in US of A 7/n
Ms. Singh further shields the PM by pointing that lack of development (Modi’s dream) is due to apathy of the CMs. They’re mostly the saffron-wallahs but how much can Modi do. It’s not all that ‘Mumkin with Modi’. This is dangerous. The govt runs on collective responsibility 8/n
BJP claims to have ‘double-engine ki sarkar’ & yet the press is quick in pushing non-performance to the various side-kicks of Modi. Modi, he is ’shudh shakahari’. This is alarming news for everyone else in the BJP.
At last, Tavleen Singh points guns at Rahul Gandhi. Obvious? 9/n
Though her shots are way-off target. Hitting out at socialist principles in an era of unemployment, job losses, inflation & fuel price hikes is a rather lame attack.
Here’s the link: indianexpress.com/article/opinio…
Please do read in full – because once you understand the content 10/n
you'll realise how shallow it is. Better luck next time Ms. Singh. A few of us had the Indian dream, before Mr. Modi had sent his 1st email. It was ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’ by late Rajiv Gandhi. His son is walking on that road with #BharatJodoYatra. You’re welcome to join India! 11/11

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More from @KumudShankar

Jan 17
A party that believes in felicitating rapists & lynchists can only be expected to write such messages praising the murderous mismanagement of the greatest crisis of the last 70yrs. It’s a brutal truth that when India lived in panic & want of oxygen, the man who ruled was busy 1/n
devising new unscientific tools of deception & superstition to brush up his image. To the horror of horrors, the misdeeds were not accidental, they were deliberate coming from someone who’s primary job is to lead the nation through turbulent times. Let’s hear you out Narendra 2/n
1. What was the need for the 1-day lockdown?
2. Why plate-banging & the associated misinformation?
3. No planning for the lockdown - sending the entire nation to another deadly shock after demons
4. Why was there no planning put in place to deal with migrant workers?
3/n
Read 9 tweets
Jan 16
There once wandered a little boy, conceived in the minds of an ambitious man. The boy was unlike any other. He could tame crocodiles. He could piss over the mighty peaks. The boy, they said was born to be a sevak. Not just any common sevak, but the prime one. 1/n Image
The boy was called Namu (fictitious). Namu continued his humble journey into the popular culture through the shut-eyes of a future generation of news-tellers that added wings to his feet & oceans to his bladder. Growing up, Namu got into f&b business. 2/n Image
He sold…..a ubiquitous drink & a ubiquitous dream at a place even before it had come into being. Namu, you see, was not a time traveler, he was instead, a figment of imagination. Imagination needs no nouns, just an overdose of adjectives. Namu, never lacked in them. 3/n Image
Read 7 tweets
Jan 15
Criticism of #BharatJodoYatra does not make you anti-national. That shit is only reserved for Modi baiters. Questioning the BJY makes you a concerned citizen. After all, in a democracy, political parties are answerable to the public. 1/n Image
Criticism is your right. Making the criticism informed is your duty.
In a land where law upholds freedom of expression, information reaches you via news media. This information should be unbiased, factual & representative. While new orgs can suffer from ideological bias, 2/n Image
there can never be a spread of misinformation with vile intent. While journalists can have individual opinions, they should not veil the lies. Yet, in the media space post-2014, information has not just become one-sided, it has slipped into a hate & misinformation driven 3/n Image
Read 14 tweets
Jan 10
It's said that BJP is always in election mode. Very True. Electoral defeats don't deter them. True that too. It's impossible to beat them. As of now, appears daunting. Yet, here they are, scared. Attacking #RahulGandhi, looking under his t-shirt, spying who he has lunch with 1/n Image
Its IT Cell head has gone on an edit-err-cheap frenzy of pushing out edited videos of Rahul’s press meets. It’s a Shake before you Break.
Let me tell you why. Rahul Gandhi has managed to get the rat out of the hole. Because the BJP is so brilliant at fighting elections, 2/n Image
they seem surprised in a no-fight, only-love scenario. #BharatJodoYatra is a non-electoral yet political weapon of peace. BJP doesn’t understand this. They’ve a mechanism driven by data, analytics, social listening tools, campaign blitzkrieg that work to deliver electoral wins3/n Image
Read 10 tweets
Jan 9
Dear BJP Supporter,
I know many of you are making fun of #BharatJodoYatra & mocking #RahulGandhi. Do I think your views are misplaced? Yes. Do I blame you for it? No! But with a rider. You’re blameless as long as you’re believing in stories that Amish or Arnab feed you 1/n
Afterall, you believe what you’re told & told repeatedly by ‘NEWS’ channels. You’re blameless out of ignorance. Remember, however, ignorance is not bliss.
I know this post will not change your heart. But I don’t want you to support Rahul Gandhi or Congress. 2/n
I want you to THINK. ASK. QUESTION the media for its non-stop attack on the opposition & dutiful defence of the govt. Don’t you think there is something wrong in always being pro-govt & anti-opposition? Don’t you think media has a responsibility to ask tough questions to govt 3/n
Read 12 tweets
Jan 7
The BJP has become obsessed with #RahulGandhi. & it’s one of a sickening kind. & an entire machinery is deployed with all its might to tarnish One Man. Let that sink in. One Man, not a religion, not a political belief, not a country, just One Man! How much are they scared of 1/n
Rahul Gandhi? The Nazis went after the Jews, the BJP went after Muslims, the North Koreans went after the rest of the world but rarely has one man rattled a govt so much ever the way Rahul Gandhi has done to the BJP ruled central government. Why, shouldn’t you ask even if you 2/n
happen to be a BJP supporter? Congress after all (according to the BJP) has become irrelevant. Are they scared of a congress revival? Are they scared of Rahul Gandhi talking to you directly like Modi has never been able to do. Let’s talk about RG. Let me ask you all that you 3/n
Read 12 tweets

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