Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor engaged in a freewheeling discussion on "India: Issues and opportunities" in Chennai on October14th. The event was to start at 6 p.m. The discussants were called to the dais around 5.55 p.m. Tharoor remarked that Chennai is the only place where programmes start even ahead of schedule. But that was not to be. Gandhi delayed coming to the dais. Was it because of Rahu Kalam ending only at 6 p.m.?
The discussion started on a neutral note with Gandhi equating BJP and Congress for their misdemeanours. He referred to corruption as 'swaroopa' of our politics, hypocrisy its 'svabhava' and inefficiency its style. Tharoor quoted his father telling him that India was not only the world's largest democracy, but it was also the largest hypocrisy. Probably apocryphal.
Gandhi observed that Delhi anti-Sikh riots were Congress's shame analogous to BJP's Gujarat riots. Tharoor's response that the difference lay in Congress learning from its mistakes and reforming itself unlike BJP was rather unconvincing. Gandhi was also critical of Congress trying to impeach the former CJI. Tharoor wriggled out of this claiming he was not privy to this since he is not a Rajya Sabha member. This escapist argument was seen as a honest disclosure by Gandhi !
Perhaps to Gandhi's hidden delight, Tharoor narrated instances of BJP's contempt for democratic politics. He compared BJP's aversion to dissent in the party with Congress's acceptance of dissent. Pot calling the kettle black?
When Shashi Tharoor and Gopalkrishna Gandhi discuss especially under the auspices of The Hindu, one cannot expect the discussion to be anything but one-sided. And so it was. It was disappointing for one more reason. The focus was rarely on opportunities.
The discussion started on a neutral note with Gandhi equating BJP and Congress for their misdemeanours. He referred to corruption as 'swaroopa' of our politics, hypocrisy its 'svabhava' and inefficiency its style. Tharoor quoted his father telling him that India was not only the world's largest democracy, but it was also the largest hypocrisy. Probably apocryphal.
Gandhi observed that Delhi anti-Sikh riots were Congress's shame analogous to BJP's Gujarat riots. Tharoor's response that the difference lay in Congress learning from its mistakes and reforming itself unlike BJP was rather unconvincing. Gandhi was also critical of Congress trying to impeach the former CJI. Tharoor wriggled out of this claiming he was not privy to this since he is not a Rajya Sabha member. This escapist argument was seen as a honest disclosure by Gandhi !
Perhaps to Gandhi's hidden delight, Tharoor narrated instances of BJP's contempt for democratic politics. He compared BJP's aversion to dissent in the party with Congress's acceptance of dissent. Pot calling the kettle black?
When Shashi Tharoor and Gopalkrishna Gandhi discuss especially under the auspices of The Hindu, one cannot expect the discussion to be anything but one-sided. And so it was. It was disappointing for one more reason. The focus was rarely on opportunities.
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