Opinion Telescope: Meat of the matter
And no one was interested in PM’s unsensational meeting with industrialists.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi chairing a high-level meeting on the global economic scenario, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI Photo) 
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi chairing a high-level meeting on the global economic scenario, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)
It was dinnertime for most viewers — about 8.30 pm on a Tuesday, a little before Suhel Seth said he would eat “mutton curry” (and so what if he had eaten “mutton curry for lunch”, India Today) — when lawyer/ activist Shehzad Poonawalla inquired whether “sex” would be banned during the month of Ramzan, since meat had been banned now in Mumbai for Paryushan, the Jain festival.
Writer Chetan Bhagat was flummoxed: “How will you check on sex inside a home?” he asked, rightly too. Rakesh Sinha, an RSS ideologue, managed to look puzzled and incensed at the same time: “How can you (compare) killing animals and having sex?” he demanded.
“Why,” replied Poonawalla in triumph, “I eat mutton in my house, and (have) sex also in my house.” Or words to that effect. Whereupon, Sinha was reminded of California, which had banned horse meat — and what did the panellists have to say to that? “Well,” said Bhagat, “I am not an expert on horse meat.”
Meat, sex, horse meat, you will agree, is difficult to digest at dinner but the panellists didn’t have the delicacy to let us eat in peace. Nidhi Razdan, why didn’t you silence them? (NDTV24x7).
There was no silencing Sanju Verma either. In fact, the BJP spokesperson had everyone, including viewers, dumbstruck by her words. Appearing on India Today and subsequently CNN-IBN, she took issue first with Rajdeep Sardesai — “is the right to eat meat a fundamental right?” — and “mutton”-headed (!) Seth (eating mutton not disrespectful to Jains): “What is all the halla-baloo (sic)?” she demanded. Then she brought up the M word in a baffling comparison: Muslims blare music early in the morning, why don’t we discuss that here? No matter how Sardesai tried to return to fundamental rights, and Seth to the meat of the matter, Verma continued her “halla” on Muslims.
Later, on CNN-IBN, anchor Zakka Jacob and Verma were at each other’s throats on the transfer of Mumbai police chief Rakesh Maria — and Verma got him by the throat first: Are you insinuating that Maria is the only fit officer to be police commissioner? Are you saying Ahmad Javed is not competent… not “meritorious” enough? Kiran Bedi, on the panel, looked stunned.
Meanwhile, for all of you who didn’t already know/ suspect it, Times Now was the reason for Maria’s transfer. Yep. Hadn’t they said “all along” (Arnab Goswami) that the police should “look at the money” in the Sheena Bora case? Hadn’t Maria finally said he would look into it on Monday night at
11 pm? One hour later, he was ousted. All because he listened to Times Now. So money could be the reason for Sheena Bora’s murder. “Who is protecting Peter Mukerjea?” demanded Goswami. Is this libel, by any chance?
All this and more on a day the prime minister had met top industrialists to discuss the country’s business prospects. That meeting did not elicit great interest at the evening discussion table. Perhaps it did not have enough meat, or bones (apologies to Sheena Bora), to chew on?
Blood. Not enough blood bled out from Agent Raghav (&TV) when he was shot in the arm by the murderous woman. And why did he clutch his shoulder instead of his injured arm? Raghav is a CBI officer in this latest thriller. He wears jeans and designer T-shirts and works in an office just like the one used in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin (a fashion designer’s studio) — if this is true, then lucky CBI officers. There’s not much detection or investigation for Agent Raghav, not much of anything truth be told, except for some speaking eyes.
shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
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