Sorry State of the Goan Press - Gomantak Times Editor Sujay Gupta
Rajan P. Parrikar
of Gomantak Times and one of ex-CM Manohar Parrikar's
vociferous and strident critics. All these months Shri Gupta's
diatribes against Manohar Parrikar have been shrill and
bereft of substance. In my email, I expressed the opinion
that a vigilant and free press was crucial to the functioning
of a healthy democratic government, and that I did not
consider Manohar Parrikar or his government to be beyond
the ambit of criticism. That a responsible press ought to
hold the government's feet to the fire. But the press should
not be exempt from criticism either, particularly when an
editor masquerades as a dispassonate critic when in truth
he is a partisan blowhard and an intolerant hack. Gupta's
screed in the Gomantak Times has struck me as juvenile,
and his lack of knowledge and historical perspective of the
Goan political landscape appalling.
I proposed to Shri Gupta that I would organise a public
debate between him and Manohar Parrikar in Panjim in
the month of July when I will be in Goa, at a place and
time of his (Gupta's) choosing. I suggested that this would
preferably be an unmoderated forum, but if he so desired
we could have 2 moderators, one named by Shri Gupta
and the other nominated by Manohar Parrikar. The idea
was to make it a fair & level playing field where (hopefully)
a substantive exchange of ideas and opinions would be
registered. The only stipulation was that this be a
civil, dignified affair, without personal attacks or smears.
My role would be that of an organiser, with responsibility
for arranging the entire event and defraying all expenses
related to it. All Gupta had to do was show up at the
auditorium (likewise for Manohar Parrikar).
Sujay Gupta wrote back to me and we exchanged
2 or 3 emails. After the initial round of hemming and
hawing, he questioned my "secular" credentials,
then called me a "stooge" of Manohar Parrikar. I pointed
out that "secular" is itself a Christian notion and that I
was proud to be "non-secular" on that count. Manohar
Parrikar comes from the collateral branch of our family,
his father and my father were very good friends, but
I have only a passing acquaintance with Manohar-bab.
We have met just once, 2 years ago at an airport, and
our interaction was limited to exchanging pleasantries.
I presented this information to Shri Gupta and asked
whether he had any evidence that I wasn't aware of to
prove that I was Manohar Parrikar's "stooge." I asked
him if he, an editor of a major Goan daily, would similarly
smear every Goan supporter and voter of the BJP as
a "stooge" of Manohar Parrikar.
It was abundantly clear that Shri Gupta, who is a tiger
behind his Editor's desk, had suddenly turned chicken
when called upon to publicly account for the bilge he has
been pouring out in newsprint for a while now. My
invitation to him still stands: debate Manohar Parrikar
in public. If July is uncomfortably close, let us schedule
an event later this year in December.
I am attaching my final email to Sujay Gupta below.
I will soon be getting in touch with Manohar Parrikar and
telling him about Gupta, the Chicken-in-Chief of Gomantak
Times.
Warm regards,
r
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Dear Shri Gupta,
Thank you for your response.
Your continued name-calling and wild assertions
lay bare the poverty of your case. You have no
arguments to offer; the best you can do is call
me a "stooge" of Manohar Parrikar. Are all the
people who support and vote for Mr. Parrikar and
the BJP his "stooges" as well? You are no less
intolerant than the people you love to despise.
With each email, you have strenghtened my charge
that you have NOTHING on Mr. Parrikar, but only
ad hominems to offer your readers.
The current strength in the Goa Assembly is 21-19.
In other words, a couple of seats can swing the
tide either way. Is this your idea of a wipe-out?
If you study the recent election results, you will
understand that the aggregate votes the BJP received
remain unchanged (I don't have the figures handy
right now, but you can find them easily) and the
core BJP vote-bank remains undiminished. It is
not Parrikar's "arrogance" that lead to the BJP
defeat, as your simplistic 'analysis' has it.
There are a host of other factors. But far be
it from me to stand in the way of you and your
woolly fantasies.
Finally: you cannot call me a "stooge" and at the
same time claim that you have nothing personal
against me. It is clear that you are intolerant
of people who hold and express political views
different than the ones you cherish. This says
more about YOU than it does about ME.
In summation, as I mentioned earlier, you want to
hide behind the safety of your editorial desk (I
mean that metaphorically not literally) and snipe.
You finally turned chicken when challenged to a
public debate and erected bogus reasons for backing
out. Too bad, Shri Gupta - I had presumed you to
be a man of intellectual heft, instead you turned
out to be a garden-variety pamphleteer.
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