Page 8 - English Tehelka Issue 7 - April 15, 2018

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Public morality is

top stories from the magazine
nothing but sham

Khalistan was nehru’s when democracy rides
reply to Jinnah’s on mobocracy, it fizzles The recent apology by Kejriwal, its causes and the sequence of events
paKistan The government, SPECTRAVISION preceding and following it point towards the deep moral decay which
The issue of Khalistan opposition and the
is rather a non-issue public must join hands HarcHaran is sweeping right across our social spectrum
for a majority of Sikhs. to curb the anarchy from Bains
Instead of giving it undue spreading and deepening ow large is India’s moral- good people off politics for ever. Now, this
weightage, the leaders its tentacles. Else, the thin The writer, an eminent ity coop for its chickens to has dried up talent available to the most
would do well to focus line that demarcates mob columnist and freelance roost? Far too many of our critical and decisive area of our lives
on the genuine demands justice and a just system journalist, has been favourite birds have been — governance.
of the community, writes may get blurred, a five-time Advisor to returning there of late and In short, our own utterly irresponsible
Harcharan Bains notes Abdul Wasey Punjab Chief Minister H not all of them have done and selfish attitude towards politics and
Parkash Singh Badal. so for anything better than adding more politicians is responsible for keeping
He writes regularly stink to the odour and the filth which the learned, enlightened, honest and public
for the English and place is already teeming with. In the lan- spirited people miles away from politics.
stop ‘private brigades’ debate on paKistan’s regional newspapers guage that our media loves to speak, the Only, the “managers and manipulators”
make it to the profession, and the uncom-
birds have been coming home to roost.
and journals
from wrecKing havoc! fata has no end in sight It is in this light that the apology fortable fact is that we are okay with it.
A spurt in the anti- In the firm grip of tendered by the Delhi Chief Minister The point needs further elaboration.
humanitarian activities of poverty and a source of and Aam Admi Party (AAP) supremo Briefly, our social and political system
private right-wing armies recruits for extremist Arvind Kejriwal is being seen. The is fuelled by an unholy quid pro quo
promoting pseudo- outfits, the FATA apology certainly caused a ruckus in between the corrupt politician and the
his own party and led his opponents to
greedy and selfish “people”. This QpQ
nationalism is a grave region of our western sport smug and self-righteous smiles works to perfection and keeps clean,
threat to the nation and neighbour is in dire need over one man’s embarrassment. But the honest and deserving men and women
we must not turn a blind of measures to improve real embarrassment from the apology out of the arena of public service.
eye to their spread across the economic condition transcends the AAP convener’s or his To a vast majority of the country-
India, writes Humra of its people, opines opponents’ political fortunes. Its true men, a politician is nothing more than
Quraishi Syed Nooruzzama meaning and implications go far beyond ‘langar’ — a free personal and commu-
even the world of politics. The apology, nity kitchen which must feed our ethical
its causes and the sequence of events and unethical hunger at all hours of the
preceding and following it point towards day. The successful politician knows us
the deep moral decay which is sweeping for who we are — ‘free-food’ seekers, and
after one year of yogi omens not good for right across our social spectrum. It is at provides for some of our more immedi-
sarKar, masses await Kashmir this year too the same time an indictment that spares ate and cheaper needs. As a quid pro quo,
none of us — media not excluded. As a
we keep his kitchen warm and function-
development The lingering violence, society, the chickens we watch strutting ing with an arrangement under which
The performance of local recruitment homewards have emerged from the eggs we condemn him publicly and support
the BJP government accompanied by that we have been hatching for a long, him privately. And he doesn’t mind the
led by Yogi Adityanath infiltration, recurrent long time. latter — condemning him publicly, just
is far from satisfactory border flare-ups as well At the very core of Kejriwal’s pre- for the record — as long as we fulfill our
in Uttar Pradesh, It’s as unrest among citizens dicament and embarrassment rests the agreed role on the former — supporting
widespread resort to the politics of vulgar him privately. The secrecy of the ballot
time for him to give point to a deteriorating calumny — painting your opponents as helps us perform both the tasks without
up communal rhetoric security scenario and a wanton criminals and sinners. This lies much ado.
and focus on people’s possibly violent summer behind the widespread cynicism against As long as we are served food — as
well being, writes in J&K, notes, Riyaz politicians in general our country. And long as he has eating out of his hand —
Mudit Mathur Wani that has had another side-effect — and we are willing to look the other way on
a very disastrous one at that: keeping where the food in the kitchen is coming

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8 Social media.indd 2 30/03/18 3:37 PM 9-13 Bains Spectravision.indd 3 30/03/18 3:14 PM