Politics in Tamizh Cinema

Written for Claps and Boos.

Since the time that Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi and Bharat Ratna M.G. Ramachandran used their movies to propagate their ideals to the masses, Tamil films have always had a intertwined relationship with the politics in Tamil Nadu.

While there has been no dearth of actors in politics and politicians in movies in Tamizh Nadu, there have been very few movies dealing with Politics in Tamizh Movies. Here is a look at few of them (not exhaustive or based on any merit - just a few of the recent ones):

1. Iruvar - This is, in my opinion, one of the best bio-pics made in Tamizh Cinema. Mani Ratnam does an amazing job in picking two characters best known in Tamizh Arasiyal (politics) - that of MGR and Karunanidhi and has based his movie on their lives. (To be politically correct, lets just say they were based). The best thing that Mani Ratnam did was to avoid showing one of them as the villain or a negative character. Anandan's intentions behind politics (To eradicate poverty) and Tamizhselvan's Dravidian philosophy are shown countermanding from the first scene in which Anandan and TamizhSelvan meet. The weakness and insecurity that both these giants of TN Politics go through in the movie are brilliantly portrayed by Mohan Lal who plays Anandhan and Prakash Raj who plays Tamizhselvan. The scene where Anandan comes out on the terrace of Tamizhchelvan's house and sees the crowd is a perfect scene of movie making basics, and of course A.R. Rahman's awe-inspiring BGM. For many Tamizh Cinema fans who complain that Rahman does not do justice to BGMs, please see his works with Mani and you shall know the man's genius. The others in the cast, too, perform amply within the scope - with the pick of them being Gauthami and Rajesh.
2. Ayitha Ezhuthu - A populist story, Mani Ratnam deals with college politics and how rowdyism has come to play a ever present role in politics. This movie literally revealed two actors to Tamizh Cinema, who have gone places after this movie. First is the best performer in this movie, R. Madhavan, who playing Inbasekar, completely overwhelms you. He is not playing a likeable character - and being recognized as Alaipaayudhey Madhavan, it must have been difficult for him to convince the audience as a out and out moral-less and unscrupulous character. The real victory for Mani and of course, Madhavan is that by the end of the movie, you really hated Inbasekar, which was an accomplishment of sorts, for the public image of Madhavan at that point of time was that of a chocolate boy. The second winner in this movie was Surya - who played a populist, slightly-left student politician, Michael Vasanth. Surya, who had matured through Nandha, grown through Kaakha Kaakha, arrived through Ayitha Ezhuthu. It is interesting to note that R. Madhavan has scaled new heights in Indian cinema with varied and versatile roles in Rang De Basanti and 3 Idiots, while Surya is now a frontline actor who, has carefully balanced mindless masala movies like Aaru and noteworthy, versatile movies like Vaaranam Aayiram. Inspired from Amerros Perros, Mani Ratnam crafted a screenplay wherein a shooting incident is the central spot of meeting for the the three characters in the movie. This movie though, was not one amongst Mani's best efforts and the third track involving Siddarth was not as well developed as one expects in a Mani movie. The other revelation in this movie was Bharathi Raja, who plays the corrupt minister, Selvanayagam who brings such realism to his character that it sometimes hurts! This was the first album where Rahman went all out with an international feel - Dol Dol, Hey Goodbye Nanba and Yakkai Thiri being new sounds for the Tamizh ears. And incidentally, Yakkai Thiri was one of those few songs in Tamizh music that does not have any verbs in it. (Trivia time?!)
3. Makkal-aatchchi - R.K. Selvamani's masterpiece tells about a the tale of Mamootty, who gets involved in politics purely by chance and rises to the position of a Chief Minister of a state. This movie put in solid scenes what people were till then assuming about the rich and powerful in politics then - that they had little to no ethics, no morals and would go to any lengths for money and power. The movie starts off well and the first half is as good as any other movie in Tamizh Cinema. The second half has lots of twists (some of them unneeded) and at the end of the movie you do not know whether you can believe what our leaders say in the media. Mamootty as expected, takes the honors in the acting department while the movie also boasts of some sharp editing work. The music, as can be expected of non-Ilayaraja or non-Rahman movies of those times is hardly note-worthy.
4. Mudhalvan - Shankar's take on current affairs and politics, this movie creates a fantasy genre in political movies. Originally supposed to have been scripted for none other than the Superstar Rajni Kanth, this movie, surprisingly has Arjun Sarja in the lead and ends up being one of Arjun's best works - apart from Gentleman and Ayudha Poojai. The movie has a very identifiable cause - that politicians are more concerned about their vote-bank and so resort to caste politics and of course Shankar's pet theme - Corruption. The screenplay is one of the best in TC - there is almost no sag in the story till the end. And the lines by Sujatha were brilliant, especially the interview scene between Pughazendhi (Arjun) and Aranganathan (Raghuvaran). The only complaint with this movie was the romantic angle, played by Manisha Koirala who pretty much comes only for duets. Coming to duets, this movie again has A.R. Rahman at the helm and he churns out delightful numbers and some terrific BGMs too - especially for the scenes when Arjun is the CM for a day.
5. Bharath Bandh - This was a movie I had seen when I was really young and I suspect is a Telugu dubbed movie. This movie again, is based on Political intrigue and as suggested by its title is based around a bandh organized by some politicians for their personal gains. This movie, though, not great in terms of acting or cast (the lone saviour being the national award winning actress, Archana), shows you a sample of how politicians make self centered and short sighted decisions, purely based on their and their kin's well being with little or no regard for the public who voted them to power. The movie also features some gruesome killings and violence.

The interesting thing has been that though the perceived ills of politics - namely, caste/religion based politics, pseudo-secularism, corruption, coercion and rowdyism have been graphically represented in movies like the ones listed above and many others, it is pitiable that nothing has changed. It is really disappointing to see even well educated people getting involved in caste wars and tax evasion issues, even as recently as yesterday!!

Seasons' Flavor

Thanks to History .

1. Tecumseh Curse (also called Curse of Tippecanoe) has 2 other names - Zero Year Curse, Twenty Year Curse.All US Presidents elected in an year ending with zero have died in office till Ronald Reagan when it is believed to have been broken. Line of Presidents felled (supposedly) by the curse: W.H. Harrison, Abe Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, W.G. Harding, FDR, JFK. Reagan survived the curse. G.W. Bush (Jr.) has also survived it - but I think his presidency has had far more grim-mer consequences than a dead President. ;-)

2. Since A. Lincoln, 18 out of 28 Presidents have been Republican.

3. The only American president to serve four terms in office was F.D. Roosevelt. After him, there was an amendment made to the constitution limiting Presidential terms to a maximum of two.

4. The only Presidents who had adopted surnames - Gerald Ford (Originally Leslie Lynch King, Jr.) and Bill Clinton (Originally William Jeffersion Blythe III).

5. The only President and Vice President not elected to office was, again, Gerald Ford - He took office as Vice President when Spiro Agnew, the incumbent resigned on Tax Evasion and money laundering charges. When President Nixon was embroiled in the Watergate Scandal and resigned, he became the President.

6. Four presidents took office in spite of NOT winning the popular vote - they did not receive a plurality in terms of the popular vote. They were elected, instead, by the electoral college or in the case of John Quincy Adams by the House of Representatives after a tie in the electoral votes. They were:

John Quincy Adams who lost by 44,804 votes to Andrew Jackson in 1824

Rutherford B. Hayes who lost by 264,292 votes to Samuel J. Tilden in 1876

Benjamin Harrison who lost by 95,713 votes to Grover Cleveland in 1888

George W. Bush who lost by 543,816 votes to Al Gore in the 2000 election .

 7. The only President to win unanimously was President George Washington - There was no popular vote in the election of 1789. Instead, the electoral college chose from a group of candidates. Each college member cast two votes with the candidate receiving the most votes becoming president and the runner-up becoming vice-president. George Washington was elected unanimously receiving all sixty-nine electoral votes. John Adams came in second and became the first Vice-President.

8. The only divorced man to have been elected to office - Ronald Reagan. If John McCain does win this time, it would be the second instance. James Buchanan is the only bachelor to be elected president.

9. Much before Hillary Rodham Clinton made a bid to be the Democratic Party's Presidential candidate, Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to run for President in 1872.

10. While faith in God aka being a Christian is a big eligibility criteria that even seemingly atheistic people like B. Obama has to claim to be a believer, the Founding Fathers were surprisingly, anti-religion .

11. Presidents who were Freemason s- George Washington,James Monroe,Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, James Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Howard Taft, Warren Harding, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford.

12. The only President to have a Ph.D - Woodrow Wilson.

13. Aaron Burr, who was Jefferson's VP, shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. The men decided on the duel based on insults exchanged over political issues. Burr was charged for murder in New Jersey, but the State never pursued to convict him on the grounds that 'civilized nations' do not treat dueling deaths as 'common murders.'

14. The only US President to wear the NAZI Swastika - Ronald Reagan when he was an actor!! :)

15. Washington ($1), Jefferson ($2) , Lincoln ($5), Jackson($20), Grant($50), McKinley($500), Cleveland ($1000), Madison ($5000), and Wilson ($100,000) are the only presidents to be represented on Dollar Bills.

16. Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He was awarded the prize in 1906 for his role as peacemaker in the Russo-Japanese War.

17. The first president to have a televised address:  Harry S. Truman.

18. Eisenhower was the man behind US's biggest asset - the Interstate system. He was also the only President to serve in WW1 and WW2. His experiences in convoy trucks while in war gave him the idea for limited access highways which would act as a lifeline for communication and transportation of supplies and troops in the event of a foreign invasion. In fact, the original interstates built were designed to even facilitate emergency air landings of fighter planes. An interesting document which resulted was the Pershing Map.

19. The first and only President to be a Rhodes Scholar - Bill Clinton. Rhodes Scholarship is typically awarded to candidates exemplifying the following traits:

• literary and scholastic attainments;
  

• energy to use one's talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;
  

• truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
  

• moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one's fellow beings.
  

20. James Garfield, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, George Bush, and Bill Clinton were the left handed Presidents till date. As many of you would have noticed, come November 4th, there will be a definite addition to this list as both Barack Obama and John McCain are lefties (what we tams call as lotta kai!)

21. One of the nicknames of FDR was The Boss! Now you know where Shankar had the inspiration from to name a cinema character who was against black money and pro-poor to be called Boss.

22. Who gets to President if the incumbent dies? A no brainer - The VP. What if both the P and VP die at the same time? The Speaker of the House gets to be the P and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate gets to be the VP.

23. Last outgoing President to deliver/give a State of the Union Address: Jimmy Carter.

Abraham Lincoln was one of those rare souls who had the gumption to take and make jokes on himself. When a political rival accused him of being two faced, he replied: "I leave it to my audience: If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?"

Now a googly: George W. Bush is the 42nd and 43rd President of USA. How is this possible? (No - the consecutive terms is not the answer)

He might be a philanderer

He did something which perhaps might be fatally flawed, at least according to me - cheating on you wife could be the worst ever thing you could ever do, but then he was only the second president in the history of US to have a surplus budget.

I'm the conphused!!

I'm not a great economic analyst nor a politics guru!

But this and this doesn't add up!!

Well, for all I'm concerned is whether my H1B Visa will make it to USCIS before the deadline and will I get to stay here in the US and be the lazy, irresponsible person that I'am for the next six years, at least?

April 1 - Usually the Fool's day, I don't want to be made a fool of by USCIS this year.

The man who didn’t know too much

A Story by Cho Ramaswamy which appeared in The Hindustan Times.

Dr Manmohan Singh was worried. No, not worried, but concerned. No, not concerned, but agitated. Yes. When curiosity starts biting viciously, the mind cannot but get agitated. He was, of course, curious. And there seemed to be no way of quenching that curiosity. The media were agog with rumours about an impending cabinet reshuffle. If it had been an official announcement, the PM would not have bothered. He knew that a formal denial would follow. This was a rumour featured in all gossip columns. The greatest gossip of them all, the visual media, were also forecasting a cabinet reshuffle. One can ignore news, but the man who disregards a rumour, does so at his own peril.

So the cultured Doctor was sure that there was going to be a reshuffle. But who was going to barge in and who was going to be kicked out? Will the portfolios of the ministers be changed? Who will get what? The PM was anxious to know. Of course, being only the PM and not Sonia Gandhi, he had no right to expect to know anything in advance. His lot, he knew, was to wait and watch.

He would come to know, when the ministers would be sworn in by Abdul Kalam. No, no, not Abdul Kalam. He was no longer the President. That woman — what was her name? — some Patel. Ahamed Patel? No, a woman. Some other Patel. Ah! Pratibha Patil! When she would say 'I...' and rest her office, the ministers — at least the new ones if any — would have to confess their names and admit their identities. Then the Prime Minister would know.

But curiosity is something that cannot wait to be killed at the last moment. He wanted to know in advance, at least before the invited audience at the Rashtrapati Bhavan came to know the names and the faces. What faces? Does it matter at all? After all, whatever the face is now, it will be lost once the person joined the cabinet. But that is a side issue. Who are going to become ministers? That is the question now. Curiosity, earlier biting the PM, now started eating into him. He had to do something about it.

He could ask Karunanidhi. At least he would know, whether his daughter was going to be inducted into the cabinet or not. But if Dr Manmohan Singh talked to him, Karunanidhi would definitely talk about the Ram Sethu issue. He would want to know the Centre’s position on it and the line it was going to take before the Supreme Court. And what could the PM say? If the government knew what it was going to tell the Supreme Court, it would have already done so. The government, being a secular one, had nothing but contempt for Rama. But he seemed to carry some votes in his pocket. If there was a way of keeping the votes and letting Rama go, the government would have embraced the idea with enthusiasm.

But Karunanidhi would not listen. He wanted the bridge to go along with Rama, making way for TR Balu, the Shipping Minister to sail in the Palk Straits. So talking to Karunanidhi would only be inviting acrimony.

Lalu Prasad Yadav might know all about the cabinet reshuffle. But if the PM asked Lalu to satisfy his curiosity, Lalu may use the occasion to demand a Bharat Ratna for Rabri Devi. Sure, anyone who would be prepared to accept the award from the hands of the present President would be making the ultimate sacrifice. The sacrifice of self-respect. That itself, being an act of the highest form of humility, would make the person deserving of the highest award. But then, if Rabri was given the Bharat Ratna, the next in line would be Mrs Deve Gowda. And Sonia Gandhi would not like that.

So Lalu cannot be approached. Who else? Pranab Mukherjee? He was already considering himself to be more important than the PM. Why confirm it by seeking enlightenment from him? Chidambaram could be knowing some particulars, as his son was close to DMK circles, thus being in a position to know Sonia Gandhi’s mind. But, after the recent coronation by a TV channel as the Indian Politician of the Year, Chidambaram would be assuming airs. Not that he did not have any earlier. But the air assumed by him now could be so dense that he may be causing a low pressure area around himself. And worse, under the pretext of mentioning in passing the next budget, he may start giving lessons in economics to Dr Manmohan Singh. That being the ultimate in humiliation, would be the limit. No, no Chidambaram. Anyway who knew what was going to happen to him in the reshuffle? The Leftists were already baying for his blood.

Talking of Leftists, Prakash Karat would certainly be posted with all details about the reshuffle. But if he was approached, he may start talking about the nuclear deal. It was already exploding in the PM’s face, and he did not want to invite another blast. The effects of radiation had started to tell.

Arjun Singh may be expected to find out at least some aspects of the reshuffle. But he would carry tales to Sonia Gandhi, accusing the PM of being a nosey sort of man, exhibiting an inquisitiveness, totally unbecoming of his office.

The PM was by now a man resigned to his fate. He wrote on a piece of paper lying on his table, “Who am I to aspire to know anything in advance? I am only a Prime Minister. There are higher powers.” He studied it to steady himself, and stifle his curiosity. And to divert his mind, he switched on the TV set. Someone was giving a pitch report prior to a one-day fixture and pointing to a spot on the pitch said, “Look… over here, yes over here…”

The other words were lost on the PM. The words “over here” had an electrifying effect on him. Yes. That’s it! One can ‘overhear’! Sonia and Rahul Gandhi would definitely be discussing the cabinet reshuffle, to decide who was going to be made what. If only he could go to Sonia Gandhi’s residence, hide in a convenient corner, and listen, he could get all details. But could he? The hiding part of it, he could carry out with consummate skill, having perfected the art by sheer practice. After all, whenever the communists came to discuss the proposed pact with the US, he had successfully hidden himself.

When he started weighing the pros and cons of attempting to overhear the conversation between Sonia and her son, his enthusiasm diminished. There were no pros, but plenty of cons. Just then, he heard some footsteps. Someone was approaching. No, there were two of them, somebody talking to somebody. Yes. They were Sonia and Rahul approaching his room.

Dr Manmohan Singh was shaken. Their arrival on the scene, just as he was considering the outrageous act of overhearing their conversation, disconcerted him. He felt as if he was already eavesdropping. His conscience castigated him. He felt guilty. He also knew, that his face would reveal all. His was the face of a nobleman, and it would not hide his inner secrets. One look at him, and she would know. He must avoid the mother and the son. He took a decision. His face would not hide anything, but he could hide himself. He jumped from his chair, jumped around the sofa set, jumped over a table, and the final jump led him behind a wardrobe. As he stood motionless, a practice which had grown on him through his years of prime ministership, Sonia and Rahul seated themselves near the table where he had been sitting and brooding. They thought that he had gone to the restroom, and would be returning shortly.

Just then, Sonia Gandhi’s eyes fell on the piece of paper on which he had been scribbling. The words, “Who am I to aspire to know anything in advance? I am only a Prime Minister. There are higher powers,” stared at her.

She was impressed and showed it to Rahul. He too was impressed. “Could we ever hope to get a Prime Minister like him? Whoever comes or goes, he must stay.” As he heard these words of Sonia Gandhi, Dr Manmohan Singh, heaved a silent sigh of relief. Whatever the blasted reshuffle did, it would not touch him.

This is a word by word reproduction from the hindustan times website and can be accessed here.

Meet R.K Laxman

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/58154/.html

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/58154/.html

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/58154/.html

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/58154/.html

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/58154/.html



One of the Gods of Sarcasm...

The Hypocrite called Dr. M.K

The political waters are starting to boil again. Tamil Nadu's Hon'ble CM, Dr. Karunanidhi, once again, for the umpteenth time proves that he is pseudo-secular (sickular?) as anyone in India. He has gone on to the extent of asking whether Rama was a civil engineer or some such crap. Why doesn't Dr. M.K have the same bravado attitude to ask the Christians whether Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a MBBS MD from Johns Hopkins as Jesus was supposed to have cured people from sicknesses and its believed that he brought back someone from the dead. If all this is believable to our venerated senior politician from Gopalapuram, why is Rama building the sethu bridge not believable? Even leaving all this, take the case of Islam (Dr. M.K really loves Islam as he fasts with them and calls Hindus as Thirudan when he is under the comforting company of 100 odd muslims). Certain sections of the Islamic society have misinterpreted the Holy Quran and are indulging in terrorism in India and Pakistan - has Dr. M.K ever spoken about this? NO!

My point more than showing deficiencies in other religions (the same way they exist in Hinduism), is to show the lowly vote-bank politics of Dr. M.K. And other supposedly learned people like Dr. Manmohan Singh, Dr. Chidambaram praise Dr. M.K as the architect of modern South India - What Shame!

Hits the nail right on its head

I saw this article in Rediff.com. This article is seriously one of the better articles in the usually-nonsensical Rediff.

Click here to read.

After 'Abhiwarya', this might well be the most irritating media covered event/incident this year.

Good excerpts from the original:


Sanjay Dutt was born in 1959. That means he was well into his thirty-fourth year when he was arrested in 1993. A man that hasn't gained a modicum of common sense by that age is certainly not a man that can be trusted with any kind of firearms, leave alone an AK-56.

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Even imprisonment does not seem to have shoved a modicum of common sense into Sanjay Dutt's skull. In November 2000 the police allegedly taped him talking to the notorious Chhota Shakeel. The release of those tapes' transcripts proved too much even for Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray (who had stood by him when his father's Congress colleagues were dropping out of sight in 1993).

This conversation reputedly came within days of Sanjay Dutt receiving exemption from appearing in the special court for two months; at such a time he had no business talking to any suspect acquaintance, even if the conversation were confined to inanities about the weather.

The actor was subsequently asked to confirm whether he had indeed spoken to Chhota Shakeel on the night of November 14, 2000 as the tapes indicated. Sanjay Dutt then told Judge A P Bhangale that he could not remember anything much from that evening because of all the liquor that he had consumed. Full points for honesty perhaps, but after all this it is utter nonsense to claim that this man is any kind of a role model for youth.

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Actors are fond of flaunting their credentials as social activists. Perhaps the greatest social service that Sanjay Dutt could perform in his troubled life would be in ramming home the twin messages that actions have consequences and that nobody is above the law.

Bardhan in Devil's Advocate

Courtesy: CNN-IBN Website. For full interview, click here.

From this interview, the Communists in India act on one directive - be always against BJP. If Prathibha Patil's integrity is questioned, this guy talks about L.K. Advani, who isn't even contesting the presidential elections. Kitchen Cabinet of Sonia Gandhi is working well! And pity that the Communists have come to this level.

The following questions are the real peaches! Excerpts:

Karan Thapar: You call them lies, but lets explore some of them in detail. Let us begin with the Pratibha Mahila Sahakari Bank. She was it’s chairperson and later its director. And even when she hasn’t held those posts, she has been the critical person running the bank.

In 2003, when the Reserve Bank of India closed the bank, it commented – “allowing the bank to carry on banking business would be detrimental to the interest of present and future shareholders and hence it’s license is hereby cancelled.”

Should a woman who virtually presided over a failed bank be the next President of India?

A B Bardhan: Well, so many institutions fail. That’s quite another question. But she was the chairperson only for a certain period.

Karan Thapar: I am afraid I have to correct you.

A B Bardhan: Facts have been proved before.

Karan Thapar: You are talking about facts, let me draw your attention to Board Resolution number 23 of the Pratibha Mahila Sahakari Bank passed on January 22, 2002. It authorised Pratibha Patil to appoint the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive. So even when she wasn’t the chairperson, she was running the bank.

A B Bardhan: As the promoter and most important person there.

Karan Thapar: Regardless of what capacity, she was running the bank. When she fails, she takes responsibility for the failure.

A B Bardhan: I think the full answer has been given. Documents have shown that she was the chairperson only for a certain period. But if there’s any responsibility that accrues to her, the Reserve Bank is there to take note of it.

Karan Thapar: A woman who presided over a failed bank is the right choice for the President of India? That’s a bizarre decision.

A B Bardhan: A person who was charged with a hawala transaction, a person who was guilty of destroying a masjid (mosque), whose case was in court, wanted to be a Deputy Prime Minister.

Karan Thapar: So you have chosen Pratibha Patil in competition with L K Advani?

A B Bardhan: It is only he and his party who are levelling all these charges. It’s a fascistic trick to throw sufficient mud at a person so that some of it might stick.
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Karan Thapar: But these statements were made much earlier. Let me quote to you a letter written by the President of the Bank, the Vice-President of the Bank and Secretary, all three top officials, on March 13, 2002. At least five years before her nomination, even before she became governor of Rajasthan. This is what they wrote – “There is a threat to our lives and to the lives of our family members from you. You have already communicated this to us in our meeting with you. If something happens to us accidentally or otherwise, you will be responsible.”

Can you as a formal general secretary of the AITUC support as President a woman who threatens allegedly trade union leaders?

A B Bardhan: What are you trying to say Karan? I know of people who threaten, conspire.
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Karan Thapar: You see it as coincidence that while she ran the bank, her family members got loans and then defaulted?

A B Bardhan: My bother commits some crime, and I’m responsible for it? I’m not my brother’s keeper.

Karan Thapar: But it’s a different matter if you happen to be heading the bank at the time when the brother gets loans or if you’re effectively running the bank. That’s what I am pointing out.

A B Bardhan: She was the head only for sometime.
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Karan Thapar: Speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly as health minister on December 10, 1975, Mrs Pratibha Patil said we are thinking of forcible sterilisation of people with hereditary diseases. First of all, do you approve of forcible sterilisation?

A B Bardhan: I don't, I don't, but that doesn't mean I agree with everything she does or says.

Karan Thapar: Let’s explore this a little further. People with hereditary diseases include people with heart disorders, infertility, diabetes, even people with bad sight and bad hearing. Should such people be forcibly sterilised?

A B Bardhan: I don't think there should be forcible sterilisation of at any stage.

Karan Thapar: So, you completely disagree with her?

A B Bardhan: I disagreed with this whole policy of Congress at one stage.

Karan Thapar: Then how come such a woman who said this in the Assembly - it is recorded in the Assembly records - is your nominee for President?

A B Bardhan: She is not going to forcibly sterilise anybody, she is not going to follow those policies, and she is not called upon to.

Karan Thapar: But she stood for it. She’s never recanted. She hasn’t apologised.

A B Bardhan: We are electing a President within the framework of the Indian Constitution.

Karan Thapar: But she still has views and beliefs. She has not recanted or apologised.

A B Bardhan: I’m not called upon to support her views and beliefs.

Karan Thapar: Should she clear the air and recant and apologise for this?

A B Bardhan: Why should she?

Karan Thapar: So she stands by it and you are happy to support her?

A B Bardhan: Many wrong things, mistaken things have been said and done by the Congress and more so by the BJP.
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Karan Thapar: Let me call upon your attention to something that she declared on June 17. She has made it clear that she believes in divine spirits. On June 17 she said that she had had a conversation with a man who died in 1969 because the man had manifested himself in the body of a woman.

You are laughing because it’s hilarious. But do you acknowledge that such a woman should be President?

A B Bardhan: Most of your leaders be the Congress or the BJP believe in godmen, spirits and astrologists.
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Karan Thapar: They say Caesar’s wife should be above suspicion. Doesn’t that apply to the President in India?

A B Bardhan: President of India is a Constitutional head.

Karan Thapar: So it can be suspected?

A B Bardhan: A Constitutional head is not called upon to lay policy.

Karan Thapar: The Constitutional head is the symbol of the country. Should the symbol of the country be under suspicion?

A B Bardhan: The Constitutional head is the symbol of the country whose policies will be laid down by the government.

Karan Thapar: The one thing that the Communist Party has is moral authority. No longer do you have political influence. Why are you squandering your moral authority supporting a woman who is not fit for the top turf? Why are don’t you admit you made a mistake nominating her?

A B Bardhan: Our moral authority is demonstrated in the fact that we insisted that no communal person or belonging to a communal party, to the RSS and the BJP should be nominated.

Karan Thapar: So you can have a potentially corrupt person, instead you can have a woman who stands for forcible sterilisation, or have an orthodox woman who believes in spirits.

A B Bardhan: She has more than 40 years of political career.

Karan Thapar: Alright Mr Bardhan, you can have the last word. A pleasure talking to you.
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Though this show isn't original in concept, I like Karan Thapar and his pre-interview research. And Netas still live! *Sigh*