Opinion The other Modi
The Sushma Swaraj-Lalit Modi affair holds television captive.
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File Photo- Sushma Swaraj with former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi during an IPL match in New Delhi in 2010. (Source: PTI)
For all of us sweltering in the Indian summer heat, or sweating profusely from the humidity of the Indian monsoon, it looked like the perfect getaway: a blue azure sky, a bluer Adriatic Sea, a cliff-hanging resort shaded by overarching green trees, a whiff of a breeze.
Montenegro. This was the setting for the man of the moment who had chosen to wear a blue (linen?) shirt matching the “light blue corner notice” issued against him by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, which is still valid, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. With dark glasses shielding his eyes from the TV camera’s inquisitive gaze, his black hair neatly ruffled for the photo op, he had all the airs of a man without a care. It’s only when he began to answer Rajdeep Sardesai’s questions on his need for “humanitarian” aid in 2014, that Lalit Modi got ruffled and revealed just how much he really cared.
In the India Today “world premiere” of the “world explosive”, sorry, “world premiere of the ‘explosive’ world exclusive” interview that burst through Times Now’s hourly newsbreaks on “Modi-gate” — “18 exposes in 24 hours”, it boasted on Monday — the former IPL commissioner rattled off dates, names, court orders and a few gratuitous insults on Sardesai’s lack of homework, knowledge of liver cancer and inability to pronounce Champalimaud Foundation. The latter offers such miraculous treatment for said cancer that Mrs Modi was able to party in Ibiza just three days later — the well-informed Mr Modi informed Sardesai pityingly.
It was clear that Modi (can’t get away from that name these days) used the interview to spew all the bile that has been collecting inside him since his exile from India in 2010. Modi, the medical specialist, must have known this was unhealthy, so he hammered away at P. Chidambaram and the UPA government. Sardesai remained calm and cool, in spite of wearing a jacket and Modi’s hot air; he repeatedly brought the rambling, ranting Modi back to Sushma Swaraj’s involvement in his travel plans and his evasion of the law in India. Now, if only the interview hadn’t ended in an abrupt cul-de-sac, if only Sardesai had refrained from shaking the fugitive Lalitji’s hand so warmly (as seen in the promos for the interview), it would have been perfect.
The interview took it’s time coming on Tuesday night (it was being “evacuated” according to Rahul Kanwal!) but was a coup for India Today. It left Arnab Goswami in his shirtsleeves, checking page numbers with Modi’s lawyer, Mehmood Abdi, on documents released by Modi, which included Vasundhara Raje’s confidential letter for his immigration application (Times Now).
Goswami had already enjoyed his moments in the spotlight as he pursued the Modi-Swaraj controversy from Sunday morning. There was no let up for him, his channel — or for us — as he was at his scathing, righteous and repetitive best every evening: Sunday evening, he asked the BJP spokesperson whether Swaraj’s “no objection” to Modi receiving British travel documents was done “with the consent of the government”, “with the consent of the government”, “with the consent of the government” (repeat 10 times).
No one can compete with Goswami when it comes to badgering, bullying, or bellowing the nation’s indignation. So they don’t even try. Barkha Dutt (NDTV 24×7) asked many of the same questions as Goswami, but without his hauteur; Rajat Sharma (India TV) reported and commented on the entire controversy each night without disturbing a single facial muscle — when did you last see an expression flit across his face?
shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
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