Marathi media on the Chavan-Amitabh issue

A film celebrity of national and international standing is unduly brought into a sort of controversy which needs focus mostly because political interference in matters relating to art (and artists or actors) is now gaining undue importance and also creating disturbance which is alien to cultural matters. ­­

The way Amitabh Bachchan was sidetracked by the Congress chief minister Ashok Chavan in Maharashtra by not joining him on a platform despite previous arrangement and protocol as per the scheduled program has been a matter of severe criticism elaborately discussed in the Marathi print and electronic media. The venue was a Marathi literary meet held in Maharashtra. It is therefore interesting and also informative to see how prominent Marathi newspapers have commented on the issue in a variety of ways with interpretative opinions.

Leading Marathi daily ‘Lokasatta’ editorially commented that a few Mumbai-based Congressmen raised the issue that Bachchan should not be associated with chief minister Chavan because he is brand ambassador of Gujarat which is ruled by Narendra Modi. This is more to please the Congress High Command than based on any principle or clear mandate by them. Congress spokesperson Manu Sanghavi and Congress Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh made it clear on electronic media that the chief minister is free to decide and there is no mandate. Despite this clarification, the chief minister preferred not to be present on the dais along with Mr.Bachchan and attended the literary meet a day earlier than the scheduled program, which the editorial termed as disgusting. 

The real reason why the Congress prohibited the state chief minister to share a platform with Bachchan is the dispute and strained relations between Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the Bachchan family, comments an editorial in the ‘Maharashtra Times’. Bachchan’s acceptance of an offer to be brand ambassador of the state of Gujarat is a matter of professional strategy which need not be construed as political backing either to Gujarat CM Modi or his party. Local Congressmen raised the controversy only to please Sonia Gandhi. But Mr. Chavan’s action in not joining Bachchan on the literary platform on the concluding day as scheduled is damaging to both his leadership as also that of Sonia Gandhi, comments the editorial.

The background of the strained relations between the Gandhi family and the Bachchans is elaborately disclosed with past incidents and references by Maharashtra Times’ Delhi correspondent Suresh Bhatewara in a special article. He pointed out that Rajiv Gandhi had brought Amitabh Bachachan into the political arena by getting him elected to Parliament on a ticket from Allahabad. When Amitabh and his brother Ajitabh were involved in a property deal abroad without the Indian government’s permission as required under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA), the then finance minister V.P. Singh issued an order of enquiry.  When Rajiv Gandhi brought pressure on Singh to stop the inquiry, the latter leaked the matter to the media after which Singh had to resign.

 At the same time the Bofors affair came on the scene and allegations against the Bachchans as commission agents by foreign media, legal battle against foreign newspapers and Ajitabh’s non-payment of legal fees allegedly already given to him by Rajiv Gandhi were among the issues that increased the tension between the two families. Amitabh’s subsequent joining of Amar Singh’s Samajwadi Party for financial relief in his crisis added to this already-created rift, comments the special article. Analyzing the Chavan-Bachchan phenomenon Pratap Asbe, political commentator of the Maharashtra Times has pointed out that the Mumbai Congress has added fuel to the burning controversy thereby launching a sort of cold war within the party.

While severely criticizing Congress culture and the party’s narrow political game, ‘Saamna’ has commented that Bachchan is not a political personality. A campaign against Bachchan for being brand ambassador of Gujarat was raised by Mumbai Congress chief Kripa Shankar Sinh when Bachchan was first seen with Chavan at the inaugural function of Bandra-Worli sea link. Sinh boycotted that function almost as if Bachchan was a criminal personality. In fact, Kripashankar Sinh is alleged to be involved in corruption of ex-chief minister of Jharkhand Madhu Koda, as exposed by ‘Outlook’.

Amitabh is a great actor and his image need not be unduly tarnished by political personalities, warns the editorial. Belgaum-based ‘Tarun Bharat’ has exposed the Congress’ routine strategy to boycott that which is not in tune with the party’s line. During the Emergency the film ‘Andhi’ was banned, artists and writers had to face pre-censorship and a song by Kishore Kumar was also banned. But the Congress had to face failure in subsequent elections.

A public poll initiated by the Marathi electronic channel CNB- Lokmat saw a majority of viewers endorse their discontent against the Congress and its strategic game against Bachchan.

In his Sunday column, ‘Rokh Thok’, Samana’s executive editor Sanjay Raut has very elaborately analyzed the episode with a comment that even though this was a Marathi literary meet, obviously of a regional language, Bachchan’s presence turned it into an all-India event. Had the Chavan-Bachchan controversy not taken place, the literary meet would not have attracted the attention of national print and electronic media. Mr.Raut’s comment is correct and most of the English print media and national electronic channels have not only taken note of the event and the Congress-Bachchan controversy but have arranged platforms of discussion regarding the propriety of the controversy, Congress culture and political exploitation of cultural events.

In its Delhi newsletter Kolhapur-based ‘Pudhari’ has criticized the treatment meted out to Bachchan by the Congress when the relations between Gandhi family and Bachchan were strained after the Bofors affair, forgetting the fact that Bachchan is an icon of not only national but international status and popularity. In its Mumbai newsletter, Pune-based ‘Sakal’ has pointed out that the inauguration of the sea-link was not the Congress party’s function but that of the Maharashtra government. However Kripashankar Sinh has made a capital out of it by raising the controversy and creating crisis for Mr.Chavan whose absence at the subsequent literary meet just to avoid Bachchan, tarnished the image of the position of a chief minister.