National Herald and Nehru-Gandhis Lutyens Media Editorial Silence

 "It's Not a Right thinks. " -  Videek Rao

[Image Courtesy - https://twitter.com/ibnlive/status/673793087827677185]

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The Indian main stream media has tendency to pick up topics for discussion and debate as per its own likes and dislikes. It has been evident more so in the recent past where we hear all scream themselves hoarse over the so-called rise in ‘intolerance’ in India and then they become mute on issue like ‘National Herald’; where a political party’s president and vice president take their own political party for a ride.

While the Indian Express has done a couple of investigative news reports on the murky real estate deals of AJL it is yet to make up its mind editorially on both the National Herald Case and on the manner which the Congress is attributing political motives to the Court order.

We are yet to see anything substantial editorially from the ever so vocal Telegraph which in recent days went out of its way to make a political statement on its front page on issues negative to the BJP. Loyal to its political affinities the Telegraph went on to inform us on how the Nehru-Gandhi scion was preparing to brazen it out in Jail so he could milk some political sympathy – this when the Court merely asked him to make an appearance, forget detaining him or requiring him to post bail.

But for a mildly admonishing editorial from The Hindu all the main newspapers have ensured that their editorials remained blank as far as #NationalHerald case is concerned. The Hindu’s editorial reads,

“When Subramanian Swamy first questioned the legality of the transactions, it was the Congress that challenged him to take Ms. Gandhi and her son to court. “It is for those who make allegations to prove their charges,” the party had said in 2012. It cannot then turn around now and say that the entire proceedings amount to political vendetta. Even if there is a political motive, the party’s president and vice-president have to provide answers to the questions that have arisen from the trial court summons and the High Court’s refusal to intervene. To disrupt Parliament on an issue that involves no larger public interest goes against all democratic norms, and it cannot be justified on any count.”

When the Business Standard did manage squeeze an OpEd or two by guest columnists it did so interrogating Subramanian Swamy, the petitioner, rather than calling to question the Nehru-Gandhis, the accused in this case.

It seems the only angle worthy of editorial space in the Business Standard was probing Swamy on the strength of his case rather than quizzing the Nehru-Gandhis on the ethics of the transactions.

Here in this video also one can see Rajdeep Sardesai playing Defense Lawyer to question Dr. Subramanian Swamy on the #NationalHerald case while insinuating personal malice on the part of Dr. Swamy against Congress President Sonia Gandhi instead of questioning those against whom charges have been laid.

The likes of Barkha Dutt suddenly have found more pressing issues to discuss than National Herald case. The amount of disinterest that the mainstream media has shown for the case has forced likes of Minhaz Merchant ask questions that they find should have been probed in detail.

It is not surprising to see ever so vocal and opinionated Sagarika Ghose and her likes try to figure out as to what is National Herald case in all about in the first place.

Abhishek M Chaudhari had way back in November 2012 tracked major newspapers for the coverage of allegations against Nitin Gadkari by Arvind Kejriwal vis a vis the coverage of allegations against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi by Dr. Subramanian Swamy.

The way main stream media has covered National Herald case it has been left for people to show the bias

Readers have been waiting to read an OpEd by the likes of Pratap Bhanu Mehta on National Herald case where they question the first family of Congress party on defrauding its own party. May be it will a long long wait till the Lutyens’ media poses some challenge to the Gandhis too the way they do others