The real issues therefore got pushed into the shadows, while the spotlight stayed on Anderson
1. How and why did the government agree to settle for an eighth of the compensation it had initially demanded from Carbide? No questions asked, and so no answers given.
2. Why was even this absurd sum not distributed promptly among the victims? No questions, and no answers.
3. How and why did the Supreme Court do what it did, in reducing the charge to a less serious one? Ahmadi was questioned by Barkha Dutt, he came out with carefully bland answers, and it was left to her to expose the then Chief Justice by getting the then CBI director, Madhavan, on the same show to tell it like it was.
4. And why, after 25 years, had the government not done its basic duty by the Bhopal Anderson
That these were the real issues became clear towards the end, as the new group of ministers got down to work on precisely the issue of relief and rehabilitation. Ministers who might have been in the dock for the post-Bhopal scandals of betrayal and neglect, could get away scot free while the Congress and the government got exercised about protecting Rajiv's fair name on a non-existent charge.
Not to worry, though. The TV news channels got their required quota of a scandal per week, and they milked it for all it was worth, so that the the eyeballs stayed glued.
Next week, there will be another scandal to rant about.
From A Ramakrishnan's article in The Hoot. More Here.
No comments:
Post a Comment