Last week saw RaGa give his
first personal interview to a TV channel. Till now the mom and the son have not
even taken questions at a press conference – they find it easier to read out
from printed sheets of paper and then walk away when they are done. RaGa has
also found it tremendously inconvenient to speak in the parliament as an MP. His
attendance in the parliament would make any parents of school going children
blush. He tried taking questions from students a couple of times in the past 5
years and the embarrassing results are on you tube for all to see.
So it was a time for a break
from the tradition. It was a time for the “trial by fire” for the “sehazada” to
break the shackles and let the country know on his view on important matters,
to show that he can think on his feet and take some tough questions. Since his
face was already splashed on the media campaign, it was time to go on “prime
time” In the event that someone has missed it, the link as below –
The only problem was, they
made some serious blunders on the way. These blunders made for one of the most
hilarious shows that I have ever watched. Mind you, it is hilarious because you
know that he has absolutely no chance of becoming the PM. Otherwise, the
interview would have been a nerve wracking shocker. Let’s look at the blunders –
Blunder # 1 – Pick up Arnab as
the interviewer
Classic. Now Arnab is a tough
nut and he can be really nasty. He is also a bully. The congress media managers
should have anticipated a big problem on their hands if RaGa was sitting across
Arnab and the cameras were rolling, unless of course someone within the
Congress team wanted to sabotage his career. RaGa should be thankful that Arnab
was well behaved with him, he could easily have been nasty.
PS – Arnab was the most well
behaved in his interview with Raj Thackrey. Put two bullies in front of one
another and you would see the bigger bully prevail.
For those who haven’t seen it
–
Blunder # 2 – Brief him on the
questions that might get asked
Whosoever briefed RaGa on the
likely questions that could be asked did a very shoddy job. He protested in the
middle of the interview, asking Arnab why he was not being asked the right
questions. He also tried to cross question Arnab a couple of times. Any mortal
interviewer would have fallen for the same, not Arnab. Go back to Blunder # 1.
Put a reluctant politician in front of a serious journalist and what you get is
a laugh riot.
Blunder # 3 – Close Up of RaGa
By the second half of the
interview you could see RaGa sweating. He is literally facing the heat of
Arnab’s questions. The red ears indicate a rush of blood to the brains – after
a long time I guess.
We should really appreciate
the courage and the dedication of the Congress spokespersons. They came in the
media with after the interview and defended the indefensible. With a straight
face they said that what the nation saw was the sincere and honest man doing a
good job of what he was supposed to do. They were correct, only if they were
talking of Arnab!!
The best part was in the
middle of the interview. Lalu is an idea, said RaGa to an amused country. No
sir, you are an idea, and a funny one at that. You should look at my
circumstances to see what and who RaGa is. I am a serious politician who may
also be vulnerable. I only mention my family name twice – the press just keeps
showing the same things again and again. I have gone through a lot of hardships
in life. Phew. Too much burden for the young shoulders to carry.
The best part is the number of
jokes that the interview generated (Alok Nath has sent a personal thank you
note to RaGa for taking the heat off him). My favourite? RaGa will now be the
mascot for NaMo for PM campaign – the volunteers will be distributed masks of
RaGa and the sight of the same will send voters lining up the polling booths to
vote for NaMo.
But we must not feel bad for
RaGa, we have short memories and are forgiving of such small blunders. The
serious point is that this is why one needs enough practice in the middle to
get ready for the big role. His father was also a reluctant politician who was
parachuted in the job after the assassination of Mrs Gandhi. On the other hand
RaGa is being groomed for the position. Groomed for too long I say. You need to
work hard to be prepared while being groomed sir. While there is no problem in
taking 2 month long holidays every year away from the hustle and bustle of this
country, please spend the remaining 10 months wisely.
PS – This was the edited
version of the interview. Just the thought of what the unedited version
contains tickles me!!
Next week we take a break from
politics and go back to philosophy.
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