Vir Sanghvi stops "Counterpoint"

Vir Sanghvi, caught in the recent leaked tapes, stops his political column "Counterpoint", as if to prove his innocence. In his last column titled Setting the record straight, he writes:

The whole episode has left me feeling battered. Perhaps it will drag on. Perhaps more muck will fly around. I have no desire to subject Counterpoint to this filth. It deserves better. So, Counterpoint will be taking a break. When life returns to norman, so will Counterpoint.

So, what do you think Vir Sanghvi is? A phoney hack, or a journalist with intregity? in any case, it's a relief to get rid of his fluffy column.

Two Cheers for Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar's watershed victory in Bihar's Assembly election is something I really relish. Not only does he win, but he routs Lalu, Ram Vilash and Rahul Gandi - all unworthies - at the same time. He has always been a brilliant player,and I like him for his unpretentious, sensible, educated and above-cast attitude. His alliance with the communal BJP, though, is beyond my comprehension.

Two cheers for this great victory. I reserve my third cheer for Nitish Kumar when he would shun BJP, and would go on his own.

India on sale!

The tapes also paint a dismal picture of how everything—from cabinet berths to natural resources—is now available for the right price. The now controversial 2G allocation was just one of the many manipulations orchestrated by players in high places. There are conversations on civil aviation with 1980-batch IAS officer Sunil Arora, publicist Suhel Seth and many others which have not been included here. The worst fallout, however, is that it has besmirched the hitherto ‘fair’ name of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who agreed to take Raja back in the same ministry that now stands exposed in the biggest scam in independent India, despite knowledge of the tapes.

Resurgent India and boiled eggs

Indian nationalists and the government seem to believe that they can fortify their idea of a resurgent India with a combination of bullying and Boeing airplanes. But they don’t understand the subversive strength of warm, boiled eggs.

Arundhati Roy on mob and media

What is the nature of the agreement between these sections of the media and mobs and criminals in search of spectacle? Does the media which positions itself at the ‘scene’ in advance have a guarantee that the attacks and demonstrations will be non-violent? What happens if there is criminal trespass (as there was today) or even something worse? Does the media then become accessory to the crime?