The Congress President Mrs Sonia Gandhi, the chairman of the ruling United Progressive Alliance(UPA), has returned home a few days ago after a surgery in New York that necessitated her absence from the Capital for nearly two months. It was presumably a major surgery requiring long recovery period. But, the most mystifying fact of her ailment was that there was not even a whisper about its nature. The nation was informed only after she had quietly flown to the USA alongwith her son Rahul and the daughter Priyanka Vadra and admitted to a New York hospital. It was reported in one or two newspapers that Mrs Gandhi was undergoing treatment in a well-known cancer hospital. Even that news later disappeared from the media. Thus, it seemed a well-planned, well-orchestrated strategy to wrap her illness in total secrecy. Amazingly, the Indian media that normally asserts its right of free expression, specially with regard to public leaders, their activities, their health, etc., acted in a coy, conniving and obedient manner.
I privately heard here as well as from a source in Singapore that Mrs Gandhi's ailment was cancerous. The fact that she was in a cancer hospital in New York, although not acknowledged or confirmed officially, was clear enough indication. Yet, the party, the govt., opposition parties and the media, all played the game of secrecy as if it was some rare, unheard of, utterly embarrassing, disgraceful occurence that can't be aired publicly! The media, even now, when Mrs Gandhi has come back, obviously hale and hearty, and, yesterday, presided over the first core committee meeting of his party to approve the second list of Congress candidates for the UP elections scheduled early next year, continued the facade of her "undisclosed" ailment!
Well-being and health of major public leaders is a major concern of the people everywhere. In a democracy, citizens have the right to know this and the media have the primary duty to inform the public about it. Hence, the conspiracy of silence that was on display is a serious blot on the ruling party, its govt and the national media.
I privately heard here as well as from a source in Singapore that Mrs Gandhi's ailment was cancerous. The fact that she was in a cancer hospital in New York, although not acknowledged or confirmed officially, was clear enough indication. Yet, the party, the govt., opposition parties and the media, all played the game of secrecy as if it was some rare, unheard of, utterly embarrassing, disgraceful occurence that can't be aired publicly! The media, even now, when Mrs Gandhi has come back, obviously hale and hearty, and, yesterday, presided over the first core committee meeting of his party to approve the second list of Congress candidates for the UP elections scheduled early next year, continued the facade of her "undisclosed" ailment!
Well-being and health of major public leaders is a major concern of the people everywhere. In a democracy, citizens have the right to know this and the media have the primary duty to inform the public about it. Hence, the conspiracy of silence that was on display is a serious blot on the ruling party, its govt and the national media.
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