Opinion Thick and Fast

Modi had been 'putting lexicon' thick at the Patna rally,and was caught out...

November 2, 2013 12:12 AM IST First published on: Nov 2, 2013 at 12:12 AM IST

Now,lets be very clear here tonight, began Arnab Goswami,borrowing a line much favoured by Sunita Narain in her occasional assaults on colas and scooters. Asaduddin Owaisi: yet another attack,and once again the hand of the Indian Mujahideen. Do you think now that a massive nationwide crackdown on the IM (a),all the supporters of the IM (b),all the sleeper cells of the IM (c),is absolutely necessary as an immediate countermeasure to make sure that this terror group is put in its place? Op Goswami had begun again.

But he almost met his match in Owaisi: What do you mean by nationwide crackdown? Does Arnab Goswami know the hideouts of IM? Second,you use the term combing operation,do you mean that national agencies With quiet dignity,Goswami protested: You are trying to put lexicon I have not used (sic). Do you want me to read out the text message which your colleague sent me,which had this term? Owaisi dared him. Are you responding to me or to a text message? Are you avoiding the subject,Mr Owaisi? Goswami dared back. Cravenly,Owaisi conceded that anchors have the right to change the subject.

This week,Owaisi was not the only political figure putting lexicon. Narendra Modi was soundly derided by Nitish Kumar for arrant historical revisionism. He inaugurated his partys chintan shivir at Rajgir with pointed references to the history of the region,the land of tap,sadhna and gyan. He invoked Mahavira,the Buddha and Nanak,who had journeyed through those parts. He neglected to mention Gumnami Baba,who must have been there,too. In north India,as everyone knows,the man was everywhere. Maybe he is still everywhere.

NDTV had almost the entire footage of Kumars address,an honour which channels reserve only for Modi. Perhaps,because the extended lesson in the history of Bihar in general and the old capital of Rajgir in particular was a buildup to a historic trashing of Modi. The BJPs prime ministerial candidates core feature is his iron confidence,which is why he is going to such lengths to appropriate Iron Man Sardar Patel,and why the news media are mad about the story. For the leader of a party which claims to have a unique understanding of Indias historical identity,a leader whose campaign hinges on inspiring confidence,to be exposed as ignorant about elementary ancient history is most embarrassing.

And the chief minister of Bihar proceeded to expose Modi as a countermeasure to criticism of security at his Patna rally. Goswami had been leading an unstoppable television charge on Kumars government after the bombings at the venue. Kumar said that Modi thought that Taxila is in Bihar,that Chandragupta was a king of the Gupta dynasty and that Alexander had fulfilled his dream of reaching the Ganga. Modi had been putting lexicon pretty thick,and was caught out. In election season,the media has this distressing tendency to go with the flow and speak no evil of the guy who appears to be winning. But this time,the gaffes were too big to ignore.

Meanwhile,back on the Newshour,Owaisi,too,was on about the Patna rally. You take the Home Minister to task for being at a film function (Goswami had torn the last remaining hairs off his head,practically),but do not question the BJP for continuing a rally in which people were dying. Indeed,I suspect that Times Now broadcast Modis speech in its entirety before running the bombings story,which had preceded it. This is so depressing that I hope I got it wrong.

pratik.kanjilal@expressindia.com