By Ranjona Banerji
The arrest of former Pakistan prime minister and international cricketing superstar Imran Khan was undoubtedly shocking. Especially the manner of his arrest, the subsequent outpouring of anger by his supporters and the reaction of the authorities.
Definitely newsworthy.
And of course a boon for our subservient TV channels, who are obsessed with Pakistan anyway. Not out of any love for our beleaguered neighbour, but more as a Muslim-baiter and in current circumstances, as a convenient distraction to cover up the news about India they don’t want to concentrate on.
The Manipur situation appears to be uneasy, although the government and its privately-owned and run mouthpieces will have you believe that everything is “normal”, happy and filled with the sweetness of summer mangoes.
And yet, the violence was unprecedented, the full extent of the damage is not yet known, firearms seized from armed forces personnel by rioters have not yet been recovered and while there has been much discourse on ancient tensions between various tribes and factions, the government, whether state or centre, has not come up with any method to resolve either the anger or the problems.
Uneasy calm determined by official guns ought not to be normality, but obviously let’s move on.
We’ll now skim past the wrestlers who have run out of money, as their protest against sexual assault and harassment by a BJP MP continues.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/others/funds-running-out-wrestlers-resort-to-crowdfunding-101683865918349.html
These wrestlers are an embarrassment to the Modi government, especially their intractability and insistence on justice. They refuse to acknowledge the privilege of living in a Modi-run nation.
Should I even mention Maharashtra, the curiously and somewhat nefariously formed BJP government?
No, what’s the point? Let’s put that down as a victory for Modi and his BJP.
And then there’s Karnataka. Tomorrow, May 13, we will know who actually wins the assembly election. And a few days later we’ll know who forms the government regardless of whoever wins the election.
For now though, every TV anchor poses with pursed lips (they love that look, they think it makes them look serious and intelligent) and folded arms, as they present their “exit polls”. Every exit poll predicts a loss for the incumbent BJP. But as ever the margins are wide enough to give all pollsters enough of a fig leaf to comfortably hide. X party will win between 50 and 200 seats, Y party between 90 and 250 and so on. The Pursed Lips will interpret these mathematical and statistical wonders with as much heft as their pea-sized brains will allow.
Why am I so mean to them, do you ask?
Never mind. Worry about Pakistan. It’s a grim situation.
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal.