Tamilnadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit is now easy target for media and politicians in the state. Some were of his choices and most thrust on him. But it’s also true he is victimising himself as he feels he is a victim instead of practicisng self control. Many leaders have been butt of worse targets but they chose to ignore and focus on work. None better than Prime Minister Narendramodi who goes about his work and never allows himself to be distracted despite nastier brickbats. Let’s take this further.
Purohit was slighted intentionally in Tamilnadu as he comes across as a brahmin with roots from BJP. Had he been a brahmin like Bhishma Narain Singh from Congress Party, no questions would have ever been asked even by diehard racist DK group. Even before arrival at Chennai Rajbhavan,he was heckled as a Purohit in social media that exposed racist contempt DK has for the Hindu Purohits in temples. This is a fact that Governor can’t afford to ignore and ought to remember at all times.
Caste is inherent to Tamil ethos since the arrival of Dravidian movement and if you appear as a docile brahmin, you become a much easy target. Even many Brahmins in Tamilnadu act antibrahmin like to gain acceptance as reformers, rebels or revolutionaries. But those strong like Jayalalithaa or Cho Ramasamy commanded respect because of their devil I care attitude.
Tamilnadu Media in hand with politicians had apparently drawn a narrative to paint Governor as a man with weakness for women. He was propagated as having entered a wash room where a lady was bathing while on an inspection. Facts proved otherwise. Neither does a Governor go alone anywhere as media claimed. A Governor always has a paraphernalia around him. Then, media came up with another breaking news that the Central Govt of Narendramodi was investigating into rape allegations against six governors of Indian states. Tamil media claimed that the allegation was against Tamilnadu Governor too. Fact was no such enquiry was ever on. Media conceives news but pats itself a messenger. Yes. As Messenger of politicians and always with an axe to grind. There was and never will be a disinterested objective facts based media. Every line or word spoken on media has many forces behind it and most are done with a propaganda motive.
The Governor organised a rare press conference, though not for the first time in Rajbhavan history. He wanted to clarify issues but media was least interested in clarifications. It sought sensation which is rebranded , repackaged as news. The more the clarifications, more aspersions will be cast. Any attempt to clarify was bound to back fire. After the press conference, Governor publicly responded with a pat in appreciation of a female journalist, fifty years younger, but she reacted volcanically later that her modesty has been outraged. Instinctively, she could have pushed him away but she built an afterthought narrative to fit into the anti brahmin ethos in the state. Governor apologised. Then a female professor gets arrested near Madurai for enticing girl students to sleep with officials for favour of better marks. Immediately, the ever hungry Tamil media concluded that the Governor was one of the officials. Nakkeran wrote an elaborate article pinning the governor guilty that suited the agenda of the DMK party for which it has always acted as a propaganda tool. The facts mentioned were questionable but the journal’s credibility was never good. It’s editor has been pulled up by courts but this incorrigible team never mends itself. Rajbhavan reacted very slowly to this write up and lodged a complaint against the editor of the journal under a sedition clause instead of filing a defamation case. Courts refused to remand the editor and he was set free. Whoever advised the Governor should be held responsible. #TargetPurohit took full speed after hit by recoil.
Politicians of opposition parties criticise and accused the Governor’s for his tours and inspections. It’s customary for all governors while visiting districts to be received by Collectors and Police officials. Officials always present a review of the progress of implementation of schemes undertaken in the area as a routine. Governor has constitutional powers to call for any file from the Chief Secretary. Many have done it frequently. It’s another matter that many Governors keep off administration. Governor Barnala even ran a road show when DMK in power, collected public grievance petitions and distributed welfare benefits at Sholavandan. I was present then. But wasn’t he a governor who posed no political threat to any party. So was ignored.
Where did Rajbhavan go wrong and why does the office get into frequent imbroglios? Reactions could become the bane of any Constitutional Office. No President, Governor or Prime Ministers ever react to negative criticisms. Governors job is not to be popular either. Though many governors have tried being so. Such reactions become Achilles heel for the office and becomes fodder for hungry media. Every media represents businesses, which in turn represent political interests, which mean exploitation of people's emotions to keep them on excited mode. Despite his earlier exposure to the media, sadly Governor Purohit has failed to understand the system in Tamilnadu. Clarifying issues won’t work and work alone can clarify matters. It takes patience and effort. And Tamilnadu provides the cruelest cut to those who don’t adapt.
What ails the systems in Rajbhavan Chennai? This is my study.
#1 Stiff bureaucracy.
#2 Over sensitivity, reactionary, desire to prove one’s innocence
#3 Poor PR systems. Possibly lack of freedom for PR wing.
#4 Desire to be a people friendly Governor
Having associated with reasonable success with three Governors , seen through eighteen months of President’s rule and having heard about many more, I believe that Governor Purohit is being unfairly targeted. He is good so he is extra sensitive to criticisms. This won’t work. When some who occupied the high office before him had practiced active profligacy, nepotism, corruption and though well known publicly for these actions, media was quiet. Fact was that media has to be essentially biased and works according to certain interests or prejudices. Will name a few.
A Governor who was Congress Minister during the Asiad Games during PM Indira never brought his wife to Chennai. Because, he had got into an amorous relationship with a lady police constable. It was President's rule and officers queued upto her for postings. When I walked in to meet him once along with an officer who later worked in PMO, both were seated closely on a sofa. Can you believe that this governor was portrayed and hailed as a Mahatma by a leading English daily on leaving office? Despite the fact that the affairs of Governor were well known in public space.
Another Governor who was Home Secretary during Emergency, attempted a rape on a nurse who was taking care of him. She tried to commit suicide. She was hospitalised and saved.
Not to miss a Lady CM accusing another Congress appointed Governor of misbehaving with her. The state never got the facts right. And none demanded them.
Many governors while leaving office also take with them valuable antique furniture, cutlery, expensive books from the library, etc. A Governor’s Son ran his business from Raj Bhavan, sold hundreds of seats in Anna University and Medical colleges under imaginative quotas and forced universities to place orders with his company. Media was aware but was silent. Because the Governor was close to CM.
Not just the Governor, many Chief Ministers of Tamilnadu were embroiled in many scandals. Though polygamy is illegal, we know that unless the first wife complained no action can be taken on the culprit. A minister directly accused this CM who had multiple wives, of dividing his family by enticing his wife. No question was ever asked. This CM even had the journalist who wrote the fact that the daughter by his second wife was indeed his daughter, spend six months in jail in an act of intolerance. Later his second in command fell in love with his daughter's class mate and took her as second wife. Another chief minister who was hailed as a model of honesty lived a private life that would be the envy of Omar Khayyam but nobody will care to unravel the truth.
It is usual that while the guilty were ignored, the innocent get targeted. The only reason we can find is that we live in Kali Yuga. Where goodness is suspected as something ulterior as it is inconvenient to many. By creating doubts and aspersions on the good, some want to prove their badness is better than the good. The skill of subterfuge that changes perceptions.
Tamilnadu is a complicated state. Bias and prejudices are high. Result of decades of hate spewing Dravidian rule. People call themselves proud Tamils but long to be like English. No other state has deep contempt of her own civilised heritage as Tamilnadu. Law is mocked at and hypocrisy has become mark of intelligence. To survive the place, foremost anyone needs to be calm within. Reaction will invite mayhem. Most are argumentative and abusive believing those skills as that of intellectualism.
What can the Governor do now? He must continue the good work. In double speed. Silently. Understand that Tamilnadu is soaked in parochial politics. Expect unfair treatment. Better the personal team. Practice restraint. Work quietly from a position of strength. Focus on youth and children. This too shall pass..Governor Purohit as a gentleman has ability to impact hearts. I have trust in gentlemen.
Comments
Post a Comment