Category: Enough said

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“If there is a re-election, we will get more votes”

Yogendra Yadav, strategist and one of AAP’s key leaders, talks of getting more Muslim support if Delhi goes into reelection.
by Humra Quraishi

In 30 years of my journalism career, I have had the toughest chase on my hands only lately – I have been trying for the longest time to get an interview with the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal, and also Yogendra Yadav, but the party’s functionaries have been working round the clock. Finally, I managed to get Yadav for an interview, and though the interview happened on the phone and well past midnight, he was his usual affable, forthright self.

I spoke to him after he and other members of the AAP had just finished their crucial meet ahead of Saturday morning’s meeting with the Lt Governor of New Delhi. It now transpires that the AAP has sent the Congress party, which is willing to support it, an 18-point conditional letter prior to deciding on forming a Government with them.

Excerpts from the interview:

Late night TV news informed us that the Congress had decided to offer your party support to form the Government here in New Delhi. Will AAP form the Government?

Even we came to know of this news (of Congress’s support to AAP) through the television! Anyway, you will soon come to know of our decision. As of now, all I can say is that we are not following those old political games, we are not into that type of politics. In fact, our strength lies in the fact that we are not following the usual rules of the game. AAP has already brought about a change.

Yogendra Yadav Comment on this latest spat between Anna Hazare and your AAP colleague, Gopal Rai. It’s said to be one of those distracting strategies by your political rivals.

It could have been an avoidable distraction. Gopalbhai and our other colleagues had gone from here to lend support to Anna’s fast, but after this incident, we advised them to return.

The general perception is that AAP is softer on the BJP than on the Congress…

Where does this perception come from? In fact, because of AAP’s presence, it’s the BJP which has suffered the most in the capital city. They are more angry with us because we have spoilt their game!

Will AAP take on Narendra Modi?

We will. We have been carrying out exposes vis-a-vis Narendra Modi, of his links with certain industrialists of Gujarat. Also, don’t overlook the fact that in these Delhi elections, Modi was not a factor, but let the general elections come…we will bring out more exposes.

If there is a re-election in Delhi, will AAP have an advantage?

AAP will have an advantage on two fronts – lots of people who did not vote for us in these elections would now vote for us and we will get more Muslim votes. Also, we will be able to reduce the Congress to the position that it is reduced to in UP and Bihar and then we, the AAP, will take on the BJP.

Do you think the Muslims of Delhi voted for AAP in a major way?

Earlier, the Muslims of Delhi had no choice but to vote for the Congress but this time, the AAP made inroads. It takes time to make a dent or an inroad in a traditional stronghold, but a lot of the young and educated Muslims voted for the AAP.

(Pictures courtesy www.aninews.in, www.prokerala.com)

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Pehle AAP?

What set the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) apart was their fresh approach to campaigning, which the Congress and BJP lacked.
by Humra Quraishi

From Gurgaon I have been travelling to New Delhi on almost all the days of this last week, and on my travels and at my destination, I have been watching and observing the election build up in the national capital. As expected, in the so-called ‘strongholds’ of the Congress and the BJP camps, the mood has been nothing but typical.

When I say ‘typical’, I speak from the experience of past elections, when one saw the same mood and campaigning tactics as those employed in recent times. There have been the same hackneyed slogans and shouting matches between opponents. The same mud-slinging. The same one-liners and cheap shots. Yes, there have been a couple of new inputs concerning Mr Modi, but there has been nothing novel or exciting about the two parties’ campaigning. Which is why the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came as a breath of fresh air.

I was actually taken aback on seeing the enthusiasm amongst the AAP volunteers and workers, who did not look like they had been ‘bought over’ or ‘paid’ to do their jobs. They looked sincere in their efforts, making it quite obvious that they were out on the streets to campaign because they genuinely wanted to bring about a change in governance at the grassroots level. With brooms in their hands and topis on their heads, they were seen interacting with all people, establishing an instant connect.

Interestingly, while so many of the AAP volunteers walked the streets and campaigned, there was never any need for any police bandobast. I was rather touched on seeing these AAP men and women mingling with the crowds and getting a very positive response from the public. There was also a lot of cheering as the party’s topis were placed on each head. I also received one such topi!

There is no saying what the influence of AAP will be on the future course of politics, but if ever an indication was needed for those currently in power that the country is desperately looking for a change in leadership, the welcome AAP received in Delhi should sound a loud warning bell to all.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Picture courtesy www.livemint.com)

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Why the witchhunt for Tejpal?

In going after journalist Tarun Tejpal, have we forgotten the many other (larger issues) that are currently plaguing the country?
by Humra Quraishi

I’ve been following the entire sordid Tarun Tejpal saga with some dismay. Not dismay at just the fact that the veteran journalist sexually assaulted a young colleague, but dismay at the witch hunt that followed.

For, from the beginning, when the victim’s email to Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhary and later, Tejpal’s letter “recusing” himself after admitting to the crime were leaked, haven’t we all been baying for Tejpal’s blood? In my opinion, the hunt for Tejpal was laced not just with a righteous indignation that he did not turn himself over to the cops, but also with stones in our hands and several political prejudices.

tejpalTruth be told, our handling of the matter has been very Talibanish.

No, I’m not debating if he did it, or whether it was a case of rape or molestation. Tejpal himself publicly admitted and acknowledged that the alleged “sexual misconduct” did take place. But when he admitted to the crime, he probably did not realise the levels of hypocrisy he would be dealing with. We are so used to criminals meeting any hint of their alleged crimes with open defiance that we probably would have reacted to the issue differently if Tejpal, like many others, had simply refuted the victim’s charges instead of admitting to them.

It now seems obvious that he didn’t anticipate that the matter would go further, especially after his apology and admittance. It may have not, if all those emails had not been leaked.

Naturally, the Right Wing brigade jumped on to the case with gusto, targeting not just Tejpal but also his magazine, Tehelka. The BJP was at the front of this fracas with Tejpal, considering the party’s history with Tehelka. And why wouldn’t they? Here was an issue that helped them successfully bypass the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah stalking story that has been doing the rounds these last few days.

Besides, when have our politicians ever focussed on the big picture? While there were reports in a national daily of children being bought for Rs 50 on the beaches of Goa, we had the State’s CM Manohar Parrikar smirking on TV while giving details of the Tejpal case. Just a day before this, I was talking to Sister Justine, an outspoken human rights activist from Kandhamal, and she detailed how children were regularly gang raped by the Right Wing brigades in and around the region in Orissa, in a bid to silence the tribal population. On the other hand, inflation and corruption continue to strangle the common man. But despite a dire situation prevailing in the country, on all fronts, all the debates we got to see this week centred on Tarun Tejpal.

I am in no way discounting the young victim’s courage in stepping forward and cornering Tejpal for his crimes against her. However, in the larger scheme of things, this incident probably did not deserve the national attention it got.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Picture courtesy www.thehindu.com, newsanalysisindia.com)

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As the book launch season approaches…

The winter comes and brings with it the usual book launch season. Meanwhile, political developments continue to cast a spell.
by Humra Quraishi

Instead of launching into a record of negatives in the country – corruption, sickness, escalating crimes, to name a few – let me start this column on a positive note. Though more and more amongst us are taking to writing both long and short stories, I am still amazed at the number of books being released all over the country. Come autumn and the season of book launches takes off.

New Urdu writingsI have just returned from a great little book launch, by Westland-Tranquebar. Titled New Urdu Writings: From India and Pakistan, this anthology carries 30 short stories by Indian and Pakistani Urdu writers. It has been edited by Delhi-based writer Rakshanda Jalil.

This book launch was different from the usual ones. The three speakers at the event – Sudha Sadanand, Managing Editor of Westland-Tranquebar, lyricist Javed Akhtar (who launched the anthology) and Rakshanda Jalil – spoke from the heart. Rakshanda (in pic below), particularly, stressed that she was Rakshanda Jalilfocussing on contemporary writings from India and Pakistan.

Naturally, focus shifted to the fate and future of the Urdu language and the misconceptions around it, as also the roles of translators. In fact, now that I think about it, we wouldn’t have read so much Urdu writing if it hadn’t been translated from Urdu to English.

But bringing me back to the present with a thump was the shocker that the BJP was planning to felicitate two of their party men – Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, both MLAs – both of whom have been named as the prime accused in the recent Muzaffarnager riots. And then emerged the sordid ‘Sahib, biwi aur ghulam’ saga involving Amit Shah and his sahib, on whose orders the former used State machinery to stalk a young woman.

Amit ShahAnd while a purported BJP worker throws ink on Arvind Kejriwal’s face, the dynamics between the AAP and Anna Hazare’s supporters continue to confuse us all. Why are Anna’s supporters trying their best to sabotage Arvind Kejriwal’s election campaign?

Hard questions, with no answers in sight.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

 (Pictures courtesy www.westlandbooks.in, www.thingsontop.com, zeenews.india.com, www.thehindu.com)

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Where basic questions go unanswered

This election will hinge on big issues and bigger controversies, but what about the small questions that need immediate answers?
by Humra Quraishi

The election scene is hotting up in the capital city. Of course, no concrete plans or discussions on future policies have been touched upon yet – there is a lot of silly posturing and even sillier allegations being levelled against opponents. The Government could not give us enough bijli-paani and the Opposition claims that it did, the Government didn’t erect this or that building, while the other side laid out the entire Games Village.

And so on.

Delhi smogAnd yet, no politician is even remotely addressing a basic problem we’re seeing her for the last few days. Nobody’s talking of the smog that is enveloping this city, nor of the mess on the ground. The smog is causing every fifth person to cough or get a viral infection. Compounding this situation are piles of dirt all over the city, dogs foraging around in them, and roads and lanes in a severely pitiable condition.

Our dear politicians don’t care about these things, because they don’t have to walk on the roads or travel by foot or public transport. Their airconditioned cars have so far insulated them from the harsh realities of the lives of us mere mortals. The only party seemingly removed from this usual style of rule in our country is Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP; of course, this could be because they want to keep their aam aadmi profile very much alive.

However, there are doubts about this party cropping up – with allegations of foreign funding. I am however, more disappointed that Arvind KejriwalKejriwal too has not spoken about some basic issues – why are more private hospitals-medical centres coming up in the capital city? Why are we constantly coughing and falling ill? Why are so many getting bitten by dogs? Why are street urchins treated worse than animals? Why is the place a mosquito capital – is dengue being used as a measure of population control?

And why are so many of us being deprived of the joys of a solitary walk without the fear of being molested or chased by stray dogs or being bitten to the bones by mosquitoes? Of what use is our freedom if we can’t enjoy small joys?

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.livemint.com, www.thehindu.com, www.indiatvnews.com)

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The mark of a journalist

Nikhil Chakravartty was everything a journalist should be – ethical, simple and scholarly. They don’t make journalists like him anymore.
by Humra Quraishi

This year, on November 3, noted journalist Nikhil Chakravartty would have turned 100. On the occasion of his birth centenary, there were several people from the fraternity and outside it, who got together in New Delhi for a two-day international conference organised by the Editors Guild of India, India International Centre, Nikhil Chakravartty Foundation and the Centre for Media Studies (School of Social Sciences, JNU).

I loved what Bangladesh’s former Foreign Minister, Dr Kamal Hossain said. “As we look forward to a common future for South Asia, we should begin to identify basic common objectives. Clearly, the first on the list must be peace and stability in our region in interests of the poor and the deprived in each of our societies. Development, in this context, must mean sustainable human development that must be sensitive to environment and social concerns. A sound test of a people-centred development is how it improves the conditions of the bottom 50 per cent of our populations?” he said.

birth centenaryI first met Nikhilda in the spring of 1987. He was then the Chairman of NAMEDIA, editor of the weekly Mainstream, and his column in the Sunday Observer was said to be the ‘pulse of the country’s political scenario’. He used to stay in New Delhi’s Kaka Nagar, a typical government colony, but his ‘D11’ type apartment stood out from the rest with its post office-red gate. I was so impressed by the colour that the very next day I went out and bought the same paint and painted all the doors and windows of my house with it!

There was something about his personality, too, that stood out as much as the red gate of his home. Forthright and bold, he never looked hassled or angry, and was one of those few journalists who spoke and wrote fearlessly against the political establishment and the mess in society. He was one of those veterans in the field who believed in delving right into the causes of issues, fishing out the details.

I asked him, “How do you travel for work?” He replied, “Well, I catch a bus. I have no reservations about that. And I prefer to travel alone. For my profession, travelling is a must, as I want to see for myself the situations and ground realities as they unfold, whether here or in Iran, Poland or in Afghanistan. You have to travel and meet the masses.”

I mused on that for a while, then said, “What would you say about the hypocrisy in society, affecting our attitudes towards women?”

He said, “It is a complex situation. Our society is one of extremes – either we are totally withdrawn [from issues] or we are head over heels in love. The balance is missing. It is deep rooted because of our social background, which is a mix of feudalism and modernisation. But someday, we will be able to get out of this. Take the example of China, where women were oppressed, but Mao’s revolution changed the whole nation.”

I asked him his opinion on modern India. This is what he said, “In modern India, society has less taboos and individual freedom is encouraged. But do let me add, with emphasis, that with all our modern living, a great amount of insensitivity has crept in. Norms have been shattered. There is no ‘Indianness’ left, the only views thriving belong to the RSS and Arun Shourie. We have not developed culturally, and that’s the root cause of our decay.”

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.outlookindia.com, wearethebest.wordpress.com)

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