Naxalism and Emergency and Role of Media.

Before Independence, credibility of newspapers was very strong in India and them despite having that power did not exercise it during two major events that changed the course of India’s future- Partition and Emergency. The media did not pay attention to generate opinion to the masses. Not using your power when you should have is also a misuse by not acting. Things are crime and offence by commission and omission- committing a crime attracts punishment, it’s a crime by commission, but deviating from your duty crime by omission.

Emergency was enforced between the period of 1975-77 – It taught a lesson to the people, not take the freedom they get for granted. Every government will try to snatch freedom away from people, but one mustn’t forget that people are the power in a democracy. The Fundamental Rights of Indians was attacked during Emergency. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the acting President (1974-1977) at that time.

Emergency and Response of Press:

As per Constitution Emergency can be declared in 3 cases:-

- 1. Official declaration of war them falls automatically Fundamental Rights are suspended.

- 2. Suffering from economic calamity like subprime calamity though it dint happen in India.

- 3. Internal strife-Lot of problem on the civil turbulence front can trigger Emergency.

The Emergency was dual emergency. One was the 1971 war (October 1971-December 1971) in which India liberated East Pakistan and Bangladesh was created. Instead of removing this Emergency Government put another Emergency in 1975.

During 1971 war, Indira Gandhi declared election and took on the Pak and the US. It was a rumour that the US who was a big supporter of Pakistan was going to send their 6^th fleet to help Pakistan which was the size of China’s entire navy). Indira Gandhi struck a diplomatic treaty with USSR and Russia gave a stern warning that anyone who attacks India will be seen as attack on USSR and US did not help Pakistan as it did not want a war with USSR and she wiped out the next LS elections. However during election the PM Indira contested election from Rae Bareilly. Raj Narain of Janata Party accused and filed a case accusing her of violating the Code of Conduct- In UP the Government was made by Congress Party. Under the Code of Conduct, no standing politician is to take help from state Government even if state government is his party. It gives unfair advantage to the person. Raj Narain accused Mrs. Gandhi of using choppers and cars of state government while being PM and Party President. IAS Yashpal Kapur who was Mrs. Gandhi’s secretary and an IAS officer. He could be part of an electoral campaign only after he resigned from public service. Kapur resigned and because he resigned just before a holiday, his resignation was accepted 3 days later and he was accused of being partisan while in civil service. In June 1975, Allahabad HC declared the election null and void. The court asked her to resign as an MP but stay on as PM. It was ridiculous, humiliating and embarrassing for Mrs. Gandhi; she decided not to leave power. Her opponents demanded her resignation, while her party members argued that she must not resign.

The position of Mrs. Gandhi was embarrassing and she became sceptical as news of atrocities by Government was leaked and she needed the press as election was near.

She got a 10 day stay order on HC verdict supposed to end on 26 June 1975 and her Government declared emergency on 25^th June. Barely 12 hours before that she advised President to declare Emergency. People could not understand the reason behind all this. The country wasn’t facing any turmoil or calamity. To justify that she put many opposition leaders behind bars, papers against Government were curbed and so was Freedom of press and so Speech and Expression was curbed too. Many atrocities were carried out; people were tortured rigorously and meticulously in torture chambers. Parents and kin of opposing politicians were rounded up – George Fernandez was actually a fugitive gone into hiding during the emergency and his family was questioned about his whereabouts which his family did not know.

Family Planning-

Sanjay Gandhi thought that the cause of majority of India’s problem was population. As population control drive was carried out in such a way that it became repulsive, he forced sterilization and Vasectomy, and tickets to contest were given to MP’s who rounded even kids, unmarried sterilization. The media could not report this as their powers were curbed.

Beautification of Delhi- Turkmangate was an area with Lower income group houses in Old Delhi- one storied houses. People were sent to watch movies by deceit only to find their homes forcibly razed when they came back and new construction was started on those areas. Indira Gandhi feigned deafness on these accusations. She declared emergency in 1975 again and Congress lost heavily in the next General Elections.

Attack on Pioneer-

Pioneer Chandigarh and Indian express leaders were rounded up and electricity of their offices was cut off. When they asked the electricity office why and they replied they were ordered to do so. The Express people did a master stroke then. They brought tractors to Delhi and with their petrol fuel power printed the newspapers, they did not go unprinted even for a day. Pioneer’s Assistant Editors were murdered and later it was found that they were hired by local congress MP’s who later said that they only meant to threaten them and not kill which the local goons fid of their own accord. The emergency got removed First thing by Janata Dal on 27^th March 1977 when they came to.

{Emergency -26 June 1975 – 27 March 1977}

A very important point is that after the Nazi Holocaust was discovered, Israel rounded up the culprits from all over the World, tried them and executed them. Our Police Stations had become concentration camps during the trying time of the Emergency days and the wounds are still felt today. The Press wasn’t keen to get Indira Gandhi punished because of internal differences the new Government fell, and Indira Gandhi came back to power. And press did not keep memory of the people sharp. The Press is keen for media trials and being the ‘watch-dog’ of society, the Press simply did not follow the Emergency issue up. The Media takes up an issue; raises storm and develops cold feet when it comes to taking it to a logical conclusion.

Indira Gandhi was sure of the differences of the opposition party, and public memory being short, the issue was buried not forgotten. The Janata Dal lost power within a year and the Congress came to power with a landslide majority in the 1980 general elections.

Naxalism

The current Prime Minister and Home Minister say Naxalism is a major security problem. External danger from terrorism is a known enemy as there is a foreign connection to them. Naxalism is a born and bred problem of our own soil. It started first in 1960’s.

Maoists believe in Mao Zedong- who overthrew the obsolete Chinese regime by galvanizing the poorest section of society i.e. the Farmers. Naxalites believed in Marxism and Leninism. Lennon recognised strength and awakening of industrialist workers. Today both these groups are termed as Maoists/Naxalites. They are Extreme Revolutionaries- professional revolutionaries- They believed that ‘If you want to create a new structure you can’t build it over the old one; you destroy the old one and then create a new one’. The Russian Revolution overthrew the old regimes and put new communist regimes in place. According to Naxalism, Independence is a lie; it is not for common people, not for tribal people and poor. There has been no difference in life before or after the Independence, brown sahibs have replaced the white sahibs. Some people influenced by China- India War (1965) Charu Mazumdar and Kanu Sanyal went to Beijing and Visited Mao and they got a road map as to how Revolution can be carried out in India. They also believed that ‘Power flows through the barrel of the gun’ was their slogan to liberate WB, Bengal and Bihar and the villages in them from the Indian regime. There was very little middle class, and was the base for Revolution to happen and friction was high due to the absence of the buffer of the middle class. They started revolting against India- the 1^st village they liberated was Naxalbari they got the title Naxalites: they are poor oppressed people, even educated people attracted to idea of classless society and they depend on violence.

Press dilemma-

The Naxalites are right in their own place but the way of violence is wrong. 1/3^rd of the districts in India are under Maoist influence. It restricts development and attacks of law and order maintenance forces, even criminals take to Naxalism to settle scores with the law. Bihar, Andhra Pradesh are the areas where Naxalism is predominantly active is known as the Red Corridor, the Left of Red corridor is rich, Right is poorest. Press can’t support the Naxalism cause. But if they condemn you leave their way & leave them with no choice nor press can support the Naxalite Revolution. To realise their vision they have to take recourse in violence so that people stop believing in the so-called legitimate Government & make people start believing in terrorist ideology out of helplessness, & they are trying to create a zone in which they alone are the rulers. No zone can grow by itself, it needs markets, support and Naxalites are a stumbling block between developed and undeveloped areas. The manner in which problem is tackled leaves a lot to be desired, and that’s where they go wrong. The atrocities police have inflicted on tribals rarely get reported.

It’s a deadlock. Press highlights Naxal violence in a very gruesome violence, police goes on rampage killing people & that’s not reported. The retaliation by Government is played down and Naxal violence publicised and not the cause of Naxalites. Press is very selective in it’s approach. If Media supports their cause then Government stops giving ads. And newspapers can’t survive without ads.Indian Media is not only biased but plays its own politics.

It’s a major challenge. The Media will always be questioned in the pages of history about its role in these two major events that have shaped India’s history.

Sources Of the Media

Media today exists on a complex and delicate network of breaking news, scandalous story discoveries, sting operations, out of the box shows, unique format soaps – a mix of clutter breaking competition-oriented rat race for TRP’s and readers. The Indian media circuit is setting and breaking the boundaries and limits.

Indian media is a phenomenon that is attaining puberty. After its true birth post -liberalization in 1991 she is now exploring and discovering titillating facts about her abilities – sometimes hideous, interesting, sometimes scandalous and rebellious like a curious virgin. The scribes, staff reporters, free lancers, the common man are the sources of the media. The press agencies help to fill the pages and sell the broad sheet copies albeit with lack of credit.

Media is dependent, to a large extent, for its success on various factors – one of them being sources. These sources could be anybody associated with media houses working on mutual benefit, an actress of the elite class wanting to divulge her share of venom on spicy gossip, a tip off agent divulging data about the underworld’s going-ons, it could be a hoax call by an anonymous person not wanting to be known giving information to the media. But all these would want to give the media what the masses want to hear. In media, people always crave for their part of identity and credit to be visible in the news- it is their claim to be noticed by the people.

The staff reporters and free lancers shoulder a lot of responsibility, to deal with the other types of sources – tip offs, ‘khubris’ and providers of media who are happy to watch the show from side as the news is played out.

These identity thrilled individuals provide media with its daily mouthful feed, and it is these sources that surrogatively run the media industry today. These sources often help in the cracking of cases before the judiciary; it is this investigative journalism that results in the media being guilty of the contempt of law. In case of a lawsuit against the media, it is not possible for media to defend itself as the information derived from these sources is not documented. Hence, it is the Media that takes place of the villain in public domain.

It is time that the media takes charge of the content that it lets out, because these sources sometimes work on ‘first come first serve’ basis meaning that the news was a sale object to be given to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, the media falls prey to such sources. The media needs to look upon its habit of filling the pages with the help of these sources as it undermines the very basic principle of news ethics that the news should be completely verified of its genuine nature before it is given to the public.

To the public ‘seeing is believing’ contrasts with the fact that ‘Media is a business’. The media should not fall to the anti-side of the law that its credibility is questioned every time a news item comes to the fore. The Indian media is at a stage that practices followed today can play an important role in shaping its future. The sources are important in their role to provide the public with news that concerns their lives, yet the media needs to build confidence in itself, so that it does not tend to turn towards the sources thereby diluting its purpose as the Fourth Estate.

© This article was published in the Jai Hind College BMM Magazine 2009-10.

By SM

Playing with a writer's emotions

A new beginning follows a sad end. A happy end raises a new chapter. The story intertwines to make a story, with the writer steering all its efforts to give justice to it. Minds have no limits, Nature allowed them that freedom. From grotesque to romantic, from climax to anti-climax it’s a solitary journey for the writer. There is so much for him to deliver, that he vents it all on the fictional world, that is his outlet. A writer wants space, the world has some limits, some things can’t be bended even for the writer and writer must follow them. A writer has no body, no sex; it is only his soul that tickles his fingers to write whether it is a paper, keyboard, or the hidden writers amongst us who write in their diary, and the lower class who test their writing first on the walls.

The question in the background is- should we be celebrating the end of a chapter or pen a new beginning before the nib even comes to rest on the paper. There is a thin line of tension on the writers temper, yes, it’s throbbing apparently in deep conflict over matters that concerns what the next moment holds for the characters, which could well be the defining moment. Interestingly the magic in the nib is so attracted to the paper that it wants to move, be united with the paper it is so attracted to like a magnet that the nib wants to kiss it but the writer holds on restraining his pen with difficulty. A horrifying idea engulfs him- of giving the story an improper twist and the writer has to put his pen down to wipe sweat from his forehead.

The writer puts his frustration out by kicking the stool next to him- the pain sears him- the pain… the pain.... Simple accidents like this give characters life, bad moments make bad things happen to even the holiest of characters. A maniacal laughter rings in the back of the writers head, some devilish pleasure it is to give the characters a hard time- well, if the writer cannot figure his way out of complicated situations of the big bad world, his sarcastic pleasure at the characters fate is no crime- that’s how capitalism works- pleasure at the cost of other’s ill.

If a sin is committed it must be washed as well, by doing a good deed. Call it the guilty conscience or anything emotions like such aid the writer to bring the story to happy, sad, impressive, surprising, appropriate at least logical if not anticipated endings. It is only when there is no thirst left to express more that a good writer puts his pen down.

A legendary writer puts his pen down only on paper but the writers work does not stop weaving new tales even after death. A writer has the longest life, long standing identity that is not slave to any official records kept in his/ her name, an anon( Nameless writer; anonymous) is as much a legend as any writer. Together let’s raise a toast to a new beginning or a new end…well, it can be left open for interpretation.

© By SM.