M J Akbar: The time to go is now

M J Akbar is not leaving his berth in a hurry. This is not his decision, even though he surely must have wished it to go precisely this way. That decision is of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in whose arms Akbar has landed after travelling through many a political terrain, including the partisan politics he is known to have played using his editorial offices. If Akbar has decided to brazen it out, then it is the BJP that has given him the mandate to do so. For it needed no more than a glance the other way from the party and Akbar would be instantly gone. So while there is a lot of anger against Akbar, and justifiably so, the question that is not so easy to answer is this one. Why is the BJP taking on the burden of being so blatantly, overtly and clearly against respect for women, almost shouting out aloud, as if this is its new signature card?

With a government that has its back to the wall on several other matters like rising oil prices, the falling rupee, the collapse of IL&FS, and allegations on the Rafale deal, all of which will be around the horizon and keep challenging the party, why add one more stick with which the BJP will surely be beaten? This is particularly so since the allegations are not from the time Akbar had anything to do with the BJP. Similar allegations of sexual misconduct have been levelled by not one or two but several woman journalists, dating back to two decades or so.

It was rather easy for the BJP to say goodbye to a minister who isn’t here for any particular qualification. He is not a life-long BJP supporter, not a voice for any particular constituency, not the one who can pull or lose votes, not one who can do any damage after being accommodated, rewarded and given a quiet place to hang out in, and certainly not someone who is known to stand on any principles. Why suffer such a burden? And how does this square with the stated vision of the Prime Minister, whose party advertises its “concept of the rainbow of India” with “seven key focus areas which will be the overarching theme of all initiatives to make India a developed nation”, one of them, of course, being women.

Akbar surely knows that he pulls no votes, that his sacking will make no difference to the outcome of any election and therefore his question posed in a statement that he issued upon his return from Nigeria (as  the Minister of State for External Affairs, standing for a function on the 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi!) was disingenuous. He asked, “Why has this storm risen a few months before a general election? Is there an agenda? You be the judge.”

The bogey of the coming elections is to suggest that there is a larger conspiracy and that it is to get to the party and its leaders. But for the BJP to buy into this tells us a lot about the State of the party. On the one hand, there is paranoia given the way the ground has slipped in recent months. On the other, some in the party probably see this as an opportunity to let the #MeToo protests pick up, focus their ire on Akbar, stir up debates that are not debates at all because there are enough people who know all about Akbar and his ways, and thus keep eyes and ears away from other burning issues like Rafale et al. If this is so, it is unfortunate and unlikely to reap dividends because the party has lost much more as a result.

Several journalist organisations have come out against Akbar and in support of the women journalists. In a statement issued after Akbar filed a criminal defamation case in Delhi against the journalists who have called him out, four news organisations (the Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Club of India, Press Association, South Asian Women in Media) came out in support of the women journalists. As they correctly pointed out, “Akbar is a senior functionary of the government and his response should reflect the responsibility that is thus bestowed on him.

There can be no dispute about the need for an impartial probe into all the complaints without fear of threat or intimidation to the complainants - and this acquires particular significance if one of the accused is an influential minister in the government. In the interests of a fair probe, moral and public propriety, it would only be appropriate that the minister step down from his post till such time as the inquiry is completed. We are disappointed that Mr. Akbar did not choose to take this step instead of threatening the complainants with legal action.”

While Akbar sets about defending himself in a case that will likely see him take a bigger fall, this is a good time to reflect on the role of such high profile editors who have used the office to promote themselves rather than serve their readers and viewers. While countless ordinary journalists go about their beats, the glamour circuit editor is into power games, getting closer to one side or the other, using the platform to play the tune of the masters who are anyone but their audiences. 

This is an insider challenge to the media, quite different form the challenge of pressures from outside quarters like ad revenues, political strings or owner driven sensibilities. A challenge from the outside, like the Emergency then was, strengthens the media. A challenge from the inside is more insidious; it eats away until the bastion cannot but crumble. Women being subjected to sexual abuse in newsrooms is also an inner threat. The #MeToo movement should give comfort to women journalists across newsrooms and send an important message that transgressions will not go unpunished, and in that, it adds strength and power to the entire news media.

(The writer is a journalist and a faculty member at SPJIMR. Views are personal)