Why N.Ravi provides a semblance of balanced views

This blog among several others have argued for Chindu presenting a balanced approach towards presenting the issues contributing to the whole Nuclear brouhaha. It has followed the piper's (Left) tune since the beginning and has disavowed listening to the thought process of the other side. During this process of transformation, Chindu has decided to bury the hatchet (at least temporarily) with its mortal enemies the BJP and tried to find some common ground with their grouses against the UPA.
Finally probably with a lot of pressure from its readers, probably with some political impetus from Madame S' minions, N. Ravi the former Editor of Chindu presents the flip side with rare objectivity that has been missing for a while. The article titled 'Missing the wood for the trees' is presented here.
The article dissects the issues clouding the entire N-deal and presents some of the important facets for the consideration of the reader.The tone shifts from the usual patronizing tone of LiC to a more toned down approach seeking to build consensus with the reader. This is likely an exception to the rule, but to long time readers it does bring some thoughts of what might have been.

Loyalties to the Left Credo but not to the people

Anyone who has observed the long history of the Left in power in various countries has observed the repeated theme of a selected few using themes of class conflict and economic disparity to grab power and hold on to it by any means necessary.
Often the people whose rights they swore to protect are left without any rights and are brutally subjugated. USSR, China, West Bengal, Cuba, Kerala the list goes on.
Somehow the Utopian promises of equality and liberty for the proletariat are written in paper but to no avail. Sure the Chindu and LiC would love to argue the sweeping statements made here, but the facts speak for themselves. Recently given the rampant global rise in oil and commodity prices, even the Chinese government could not force artificial controls on the prices of diesel and petroleum products.
Pallavi Aiyar being the Indian Uncle tom to the Chinese breaks the news with a straight face.

China announced an overnight sweeping rise in its domestic energy prices. Effective from Friday, the cost of diesel is up by 18.1 per cent and that of gasoline by 16.7 per cent. Electricity costs have also been raised.

Wow 18.1 percent. Not your Rs.5 increase for which the CPM Karat Yechury and their goons have been holding the UPA government hostage.
The Chindu decides to treat this with an air of inevitability. Some state governments in India have asked for the UPA govt. to bear some of the hike to ease the burden on common citizens the demands which the Chindu would term as 'populist'. However when the Chinese government decides to do the same for some groups it is for humanitarian reasons.

With one eye on potential public outcry over the latest rise in fuel prices and the added inflationary pressure it is likely to result in, Beijing has been careful to announce an array of subsidies for certain groups to offset the effect of the hike.

I'm sure we will listen to Yechury, Bardhan and co. rally in all parts of the Country and advice the Chinese Government to rollback those prices, in my dreams.
The inherent hypocrisy of the Chindu in not reporting and analyzing human problems across different countries with a similar treatment simply because of the ideology of the people in power is abhorrent. Some of my Chinese friends whose families are suffering with the rise in food prices as high as 50% in some regions over the past few years. However those kinds of true facts would not be published in a newspaper which loves to show one side of the story like the Great Leap Forward.
As a great philosopher, when confronted with starving common people, once said:
"..let them eat cake."

Chindu's covert distortion of news coverage

This news link was provided by an anonymous reader.
Madame Sonia on her yatra across the native heathens of WB to drum up support for the panchayat elections hit the nail on the head when she said,

It is easy to criticise the Centre, but it is imperative that the State governments fulfil their responsibilities

The article can be read here,
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/29/stories/2008042962210100.htm
This is a known truth that the CPM government in its quest for Marxist utopia has recreated Dante's hell on earth in West Bengal and Kerala. Now when Madame Sonia of all people decides to stick the fork, Chindu decides to report the news with a twist.
Sonia questions why the state of minorities in WB was not improved?

introspect why after 30 years [of the Left being] in power the State is lagging behind when it comes to improving the condition of the minorities.

This is where Chindu cheats and Marcus Dam decides to covertly distort the news by not reporting it but referencing the Sachar Committee report just to cover the CPM.

The Sachar Committee presented the true picture of Muslims and their lot “is not the handiwork of any political party.”

Sonia's important statement which was edited out maliciously by Chindu was

“It’s unfortunate that the condition of the minorities has not improved even though the CPI(M) been in power for the past 30 years,” Sonia said.

The responsibility of the newspaper is to report the facts as is. India being a democractic country Madame Sonia as a leader can make a statement. If the CPM were confident of their achievements they would brush it off. However like vampires who are scared of the light, Chindu decides to quote the Sachar Committee report which by itself was created simply to cater to the minority votebanks.
Thanks to our readers these cheap tricks by Chindu cannot fool all readers.

Marching to their own beat.

Its been many years since I've read the Frontline. Its better to find more productive ways to idle time. A friend mentioned that there were some good articles in the recent article, so I checked the online version. (you can download the pdf version here)
http://thehindu.com/ebooks/ebfl20080425_download.htm
There were some good articles on the river water dispute, an incredible article on the temples in Kashmir and an article on womens rights group in Tamil Nadu. Just when I was about to give the benefit of doubt hoping the editors had turned a new leaf, the next article hit an unexpected brick, a veritable sucker punch. It was a verbose trumpeting of the CPIM party national meeting with blurbs from the usual chumps like Karat, Yechury, Jyoti Basu etc.
And of course a picture of the red monkeys marching and the leaders cheering them on. The disinterest in the people marching makes it hilarious. The level of self importance shown by the CPM makes it a parody, kind of like a Monty Python film.
Check this out

Divorced from realities

The price rise in agricultural commodities is a world wide phenomenon and with the lack of proactive steps the situation promises to get worse. There are many causes which have added up but still the world's leading economists have struggled to pinpoint the root cause of this issue. However our beloved comrades have found the cause of the issue in India...its the Manmohan Singh led UPA government.
The article is on the Chindu getting front page, (with a snapshot of the magnificent dirty dozen :))
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/20/stories/2008042057630100.htm
The photo of the protesters is shown here,

The causes of the issue as identified by the CPM and its pals are nowhere close to what the real experts in the field state. Mr.Karat in his infinite wisdom states,

the government should ban futures trading in all essential commodities, withdraw all Bills allowing foreign direct investment in the commodities market, universalise the Public Distribution System, roll back the oil price hike, strengthen the essential commodities law and change the taxation structure of petroleum products.

Surprisingly there were a couple of the saner minds to be found joining these chumps. I was surprised to see N.Chandrababu Naidu with the CPM ( isn't the CPM supporting the Congress which has formed the govt. both in the Center and AP) and columnist M.J.Akbar one of the more rational writers from papers like TOI.
I guess desperate times bring in strange pairings together.

Fidelity verified by a hooker

There is an old saying that its better to have wise enemies than foolish friends. The reason being the foolish friends are apt to doing something that might add to your misery or cause your downfall in an inopportune moment. Recently the Hon. Hugo Chavez decided to proclaim his support to the Chinese cause, which is like one's fidelity verified by a hooker.
(I hope I'm not offending anyone's sensibilities. I know there's a good idiom, but can't remember it, if you can do post it :)
An anonymous reader was kind enough to point out Mr. Chavez support to the Chinese cause which is proclaimed in great detail by The Chindu.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/11/stories/2008041162341300.htm
Anything bad happening in the world can be attributed to the US, as per Mr.Chavez. Even if there's no evidence what so ever.

We fully support the People’s Republic of China on the Tibet issue. It has our complete and unrestricted solidarity. The United States is behind all that is happening as it wants to derail the Beijing Olympics. We ask the world to come out in support of China on this matter and ensure that the Olympics are a big success

The meeting with Petroleum minister Murli Deora was there to

further expand and strengthen the relationship in the future, Venezuela was looking for participation by the Indian government and its companies in science and technology, education, pharmaceuticals, requirements pertaining to medical equipment, food processing and the housing sector.

The article does not focus on the rationale for the visit and the resulting decisions, but rather segways awkwardly into Chavez's rant on the Tibet issue. I wonder if China would come out and tell Hugo not to accuse the US on this issue.

CPI(M)- BJP alliance?

During the recently concluded CPI(M) congress ,Polit Bureau member S Ramachandran Pillai put forth a weird line of reasoning for opposing the Congress tooth and nail at the centre while allying with it in Tamil Nadu.

To a question on aligning with DMK-led Front in Tamil Nadu, in which the Congress is also an ally, Pillai said the CPI(M) has relationship only with the DMK and has no truck with Congress in the state

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/000200804011964.htm
Lovely logic. Is the CPI(M) ready to join a AIADMK-BJP alliance? It can have its "relationship" with the AIADMK and still have "no truck" with the BJP.

Emperor Palpatine launches Death Star commencement

In a recent post HF had exposed how the Chinese soldiers were posing as monks. The incident reminded me of the Storm troopers in the Star Wars movies who were supposed to be the army of saviors but then turn against the people. Following that the Chindu posted the headline that Fearless Leader Hu Jintao had commenced the Olympic torch relay, which really serves little purpose other than free advertisements for the Olympics in local media. The article is detailed here:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/01/stories/2008040155841300.htm
Check out this clip from the Star Wars saga, to get an intro into the Emperor. The Fearless leader shamelessly states,

“The Olympic flame symbolises the Olympic spirits — hopes and dreams, brightness and happiness, friendship and peace. With the spirits, it has come to the land of China,”

Could you please consider the same spirits of the Tibetians who were brutalised a few weeks back?
The whole thing appears like the Emperor Palpatine launching the death star in the Star Wars movie.


Who do you think will make the best Darth Vader and why? Is it,
1. Yen Ram
2. Prakash Carat CPM
3. Sitaram Leechury CPM
4. Anyone else
Let us know of your thoughts.

Viva la Revolucion` CPI ishtyle

Once a while the "great" minds of the Left wing decide to hold a convention discuss some issues relevant today with an out of focus lens once owned by an irrelevant and long dead Marx(Karl, Groucho, who cares) and come to asinine conclusions. As the elections approach CPI and its allies decide to launch an agitation against the UPA Government. Of course with this being the most relevant issue facing the people, the Chindu decides to update the masses in its breaking news section.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200803250325.htm
Thanks Chindu, D.Raja and his dirty dozen clowns, sorry compadres will surely have the people's ear as they transform India.
As Mr.Raja future Nobel laureate says,

Attributing the price rise to liberalization, globalization and privatization and reckless economic reforms, the party said the latest rise in price of petroleum products had further aggravated the price crisis.

Not to be left far behind another CPI joker, sorry spokesman Shameem Faizee does some saber-rattling of his own, to earn some Chindu brownie points

We would like the UPA government to implement the common minimum programme if it wants to survive its full term

Of course the meal would not be complete without the ritual beating of the US pinata,

Though CMP commits the UPA to promoting multilateralism, the government is heading towards strategic alliance with United States and the nuclear deal is part of it, the CPI leader said.

The blame game

The Chindu provides opportunities for "leaders" of "secular parties" and other organizations to voice their opinions from time to time. Sometimes there's rational writing by people like Shashi Tharoor, but then again it provides people like Amar Singh an opportunity to rant.
Check out this editorial under Leader Page Articles
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http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/13/stories/2008031355651000.htm
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I'm not against leaders voicing their opinions, just that they do it themselves, not allow some-one in Anna Salai to fill in the paragraphs. Take for example this line here:

"and facilitated the increase of U.S. influence and hegemony in South Asia."

This is Chindu-speak for UPA government did not get approvals from the Chinese mandarins before discussions with the US.

Then the article goes into a tailspin ranting against Ms. Mayawati's government with lines like,

She is bent on creating a chaotic model of governance wherein governance and public policies are getting highly personalised.

The next person to face the axe of Mr.Singh is the unfortunate Mr.Pawar, the minister of Agriculture. His success in making Indian Cricket a flourishing enterprise (not that me or you could do a worse job given the demand) is held against him.

The self proclaimed leader of the farmers, Mr. Singh puts the blame squarely in the UPA government for not briding the divide. The significant waiver of the loans by the UPA government is not even mentioned.
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Check his earlier comments after the budget:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/02/stories/2008030260031000.htm
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Then Mr. Singh decides to finish off with a flourish taking on the foreign policy of the UPA government. He claims,

In the bargain, we also seem to have lost interest in managing good relations with our neighbours and traditional friends.

Now who are these neighbours and when did we have good relations with them?
Of course he must mean the confederation as defined by his party, Samajwadi Party which:

favours a confederation of India-Pakistan-Bangladesh.

Not to mention the democratic standings of the Samajwadi Party (as stated in its official website)
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How is the party run?
Yadav's standing ensures that he is in overall command. There is no challenger in sight. His wish is the Samajwadi Party's command.

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I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts. Good night and good luck.

Its official: Chindu is a Marxist mouthpiece

If at all anyone needed proof that Chindu is a propaganda vehicle for the Marxists, here it is:

Responding to the Gujarat elections, the CPI(M) said:

Narendra Modi cannot be defeated electorally. He must be defeated ideologically.

The CPM has told us Narendra Modi cannot be defeated electorally. In India and abroad, the Left has never been enamoured of democracy and elections. That perhaps explains why CPM leaders, not even elected through Rajya Sabha, presume they have a right to determine what is right for the entire country. We have also been told Modi must be defeated ideologically.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/071226/48/6ovs0.html


Chindu editorial says:

...and ‘doers’ like Mr. Modi must be fought ideologically, in a principled and
sustained manner, before they can be taken on electorally.

Any further proof needed?

Force feeding commie crap

How much of commie crap can the readers stomach? Ram is expecting his readers to share his insatiable appetite for the Karats, Yechurys and Rajas.

The Left parties on Wednesday made a strong plea in the Rajya Sabha for a legislation to provide job reservation for dalits in the private sector. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Brinda Karat (CPI-M) said thousands of dalits were in the capital to press the demands against discrimination and for reservation in private sector jobs.

Associating himself with the demand, Communist Party of India leader D. Raja sought a legislation for enforcing job quota in the private sector.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/06/stories/2007120660351400.htm

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury, who initiated the debate, said he was not convinced by the Minister’s reply. “In an honourable way we [the government] can tell the world that the majority is not with us,” he said

http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/06/stories/2007120658270100.htm

Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP and Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury
described Mr. Modi’s speech as “shameful” and said that “even if a person was a
known criminal, it was not for the Chief Minister to decide his fate; not even
the Prime Minister can do that.”

His party colleague Brinda Karat said Mr. Modi clearly thought that he was above
the law.“He has virtually admitted to killing [Sohrabuddin]. The court should take suo motu notice. There should be no double standards. After all, the court takes notice of demonstration and traffic lights. This was also a fit case for action by the Election Commission,” she said.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said: “This is barbaric. He has spoken not like a politician but like a criminal. The law should take immediate action.”

http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/06/stories/2007120660980100.htm

Nandigram mess

Did Chindu ever bother to remind its readers about the number of Hindus who died in Gujarat? In Nandigram , it wants its readers to believe that CPI(M) is a victim and not a perpetrator.
While writing on the Dalai Lama N Ram wrote

While the Tibetan Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation belongs to the
mystical-religious realm and asks a lot from 21st century believers, the Dalai
Lama's approach even to rebirth is decidedly ideological-political

This is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.May be Mr Ram and his cohorts assume that 21st century believers will have an insatiable appetite for commie crap.