Opinion Politics in the studio

So. Heres our solution to the current impasse over Coalgate: since the Congress and the BJP seem incapable of talking to each other in Parliament,let us shut it down,boycott both Houses and,let us instead have the kangaroo Parliament of the TV news studios where the two political rivals seem happy to address each other (didnt […]

August 30, 2012 03:23 AM IST First published on: Aug 30, 2012 at 03:23 AM IST

So. Heres our solution to the current impasse over Coalgate: since the Congress and the BJP seem incapable of talking to each other in Parliament,let us shut it down,boycott both Houses and,let us instead have the kangaroo Parliament of the TV news studios where the two political rivals seem happy to address each other (didnt you hear the Congresss Manish Tewari refer to the BJPs Rajiv Pratap Singh Rudy as my dear friend on NDTV,Tuesday night?). Let the debates be simulcast on all news channels and let there be a viewers poll to decide between them just as there is on Indian Idol, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and other reality shows.

Polls seem to be the bol on everyones lips: Is a mid-term poll inevitable? thundered Times Now on Monday; Is a mid-term poll the only way out? asked NDTV 24×7 on Tuesday. And lo and behold,theyve already got their answer as the prince of all pollsters,Prannoy Roy is holding a Mid-term poll 2012 this very week (NDTV 24×7) where he says,Nobody (read political parties besides the BJP) seems to want a mid-term poll!

Heres the thing: TV news has become rather like Masterchef Australia: whenever you switch to Star World at 9 pm (or any other time on the weekend),you will catch the Aussie contestants cooking a new dish on a gas range. Whenever you switch to English TV news at 8 pm or 9 pm,you will catch the BJP and the Congress concocting a political brew over a coal fire (were still a developing country only!). Maybe this is an opportune moment for film director Anurag Kashyap to step in and settle the matter with help from the Gangs of Wasseypur?

Because,TV news is a conflict zone where channels juxtapose the Congress and the BJP to dramatise their political war. Thus,on Monday,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh found himself pitted against the BJPs Sushma Swaraj: first,TV channels had the PM speak on Coalgate then freeze his frame and play Swarajs response. Freeze her and unlock the PM. Then,they invite 4-6-8 guests to a panel discussion and let the Congress and the BJP invitees fight it out. The other guests are charged up because they get very little time to speak. On Monday,a livid Sitaram Yechury complained on CNN-IBNs Last Word that he wasnt being allowed to read out a letter that proved his point; a Shiv Sena MP sarcastically thanked Times Now for allowing him to speak after a good 20 minutes into the debate. Till then he,and many others like him must face the nation,framed like passport photographs.

While it was raining coals on the Congress all week,Delhi rained on Arvind Kejriwals parade through the city on Sunday and drenched him. He cut a very wet figure on TV but he manfully carried on,faithfully followed by news TV but as the sun shone brightly in Townsville,Australia,we chose to bask in the warmth of another Indian cricket World Cup victory with Unmukt Chand and Smit Patel taking the U-19 team to a famous win (ESPN).

There was a victory for the producers of The Dirty Picture,too,as it,finally,made its TV debut on Sunday after a reported 100 deletions. Watched the film with complete concentration and tried very hard to identify when Silk was shorn or shredded. But didnt notice that many cuts. More noticeable was the appearance of Cigarette smoking is injurious to health across the screen,each time

a character lit up. Are we taking this smokescreen business a little too literally?

Time for a few parting kudos: CNN-IBNs Arijit Sens reports from Assam,especially on the refugees,have been noteworthy for keeping the spotlight on their plight: 30 Minutes on Sunday,was his latest such effort. The same evening,Headlines Today profiled the Invisible War in Assam with Akash Banerjee trying to simplify a complex history of the conflict.

Lastly,NDTVs mid-term poll also asks a few social and lighthearted pop culture questions. One such question was whether Indians preferred arranged marriages or love marriages. Anyone who watches TV soaps would have guessed the right answer: 74 per cent of those polled voted for arranged marriages. And you know what? Theres a new Sony soap called Love Marriage Ya Arranged Marriage!

shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com