IT is obvious now that sometime after its second general election defeat the BJP took a strategic decision: The party will become a television show. Sources inside the party and sources who used to be inside the party say there was a deep debate at the highest policy-making party body on whether the show will be aired via news television or what are called general entertainment channels or GECs.
L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh,among others,were present at the discussions. Both recalltheir memories match a ghostly presence at that meeting. Others also recall the spirit muttering Gentlemen,you remind me of my country you may not have a future,but,by Jove,can you fight over the past.
So,now you know why you are seeing what you are seeing on news TV. But I have to say the BJP is yet to fully exploit the full potential of news TV. Here are some suggestions.
l L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh should appear together on NDTVs We the People. The objective would be to emote. The bharatiya janata loves it. Advani emotes,Jaswant emotes,the anchor sitting between them emotes,either Advani or Jaswant breaks down,then so does the other,the audience emotes,no one cares at that point what Advani knew about Kandahar.
l Sudheendra Kulkarni,Arun Shourie,Smriti Irani and Dharmendra appear on CNN-IBNs Face the Nation. The panel will not only highlight the BJPs intellectual quotient and the glam quotient but also bring together in one show people who have just left the party,people who are just about in the party and people who you forget are in the party. Why Face the Nation? Because this is the show where the Congresss Manish Tiwari once saidthe chat was about VIP culture and securitythat had Mahatma Gandhi had SPG security he would still have been with us. Clearly,therefore,this is a show that can handle a panel such as this. I suggest the anchor starts by asking Ms Irani to identify the evil in-laws whore harming the parivaar,interrupts her and asks Dharmendra about his views on Partition historiography.
l The six journalists,who are supposed to have played such a crucial part in the events leading up to the BJP becoming a television show,should appear on Times Nows News Hour. This is the show that permits the most freedom to panellists to talk loudly at the same time. The effect is that sometimes you can only hear sounds,not words. Thats pretty much what the BJP is aiming for.
l This is a simple but brilliant and awesome idea I have to increase the BJPs TRP: India TV should interview Jinnah.
saubhik.chakrabarti@expressindia.com
