NL Hafta

In this week’s NL Hafta, the panel consists of Abhinandan, Manisha and Anand. Revati Laul, a renowned independent journalist and filmmaker joined as a guest. The discussion kicks off with Saifuddin Soz, a senior Congress party leader in Kashmir, who recently launched his book titled, Kashmir: Glimpses of History and the Story of Struggle. Saifuddin Soz had also made a statement earlier which said that Kashmiris want Azadi. Commenting on Saifuddin Soz, Anand says, “As a political leader of a nation state, he should be more careful of what he’s saying.” Manisha says, “I think he’s making those comments more as an author.” She adds, “I think he has to keep in mind that he’s a politician but then he’s also speaking from the point of view of his book.” The discussion moves on to the ‘much-advertised’ 43rd anniversary of the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Manisha thinks that it is a ‘hyperbole’. She says, "But, of course, 2019 (elections)...I guess that’s the one thing that they (BJP) can whip them (Congress) with.” Commenting on a notion that has surfaced, Anand observes, “I think the fiction of undeclared Emergency is rooted in a sense of deprivation among journalists who don’t have anti-establishment tales to tell in their 60s. And those who are already in their 60s, already know that they’re lying.” He adds, “Advertisements by their very nature are exaggerations.” Revati compares the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi to the current situation of Indian politics. Abhinandan says, “Human nature is displaying certain levels of servility that were displayed during the Emergency...And I think that is unique whenever you get a strong leader.” The panel discusses the letter written by Vijay Mallya to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which explained how he’s being made a ‘scapegoat’ despite his willingness to settle his dues. Abhinandan says, “I definitely think that he thought he could get away with it and now that he has not, he’s saying I can do all this...You could’ve done it earlier also.” Anand says, “Ignominy has also been earned by the flamboyant lifestyle he had.” Abhinandan asks the panel about the Chief Economic Adviser's role in policy making, in the context of Arvind Subramanian who recently quit from the position. Anand says, “Having a macro picture of how the economy is moving, what adjustment it needs... So it’s a kind of an advisory role...Most of the political heads don’t have that expertise to go into those details, so they help in that.” The panel discusses an Amit Shah-related news story that was pulled down by several media houses. The RTI reply stated, the primary basis of the story, that a huge amount of money was deposited in a bank headed by Amit Shah, post-demonetisation. Abhinandan believes that this circles back to the debate around the ‘Emergency’. Manisha speaks about the coverage of a crime incident in which an Army officer had killed the wife of another officer. She says, “Both ABP and Aaj Tak...ran this headline Do major ek mehbooba... They turned it into these rangeela-type websites.”