Biased Pune Mirror heading nowhere

Today’s Pune Mirror features a front page brawl against MNS supremo Raj Thackeray. The article is aimed at discrediting Raj. Let me make it clear…this post is not written to support Raj in any form. But the only intention is to point out the fundamental flaws in assumptions of PM.

Mirror has interviewed a bunch of people. The selection seems to be totally off the mark. Let me take you through the interviewees-(I dont want to mention names, so I will just write which group of people they represent)

• Politicians- Yeah, right! You expect them to talk FOR Raj Thackeray?
• A scientist- Fair choice, but the guy seemed to be in accord with Raj, even if not to that extremity.
• Educationalists- Why would they not want North Indian students? ‘Donations’ …always welcome!
• A bunch of NI students- They are the victims.
• Student Leader- One of them
• Restaurateurs- They think their customers will be lost. But one gentleman thought that culture is changing and thats not good.

Politicians, Scientists are not the victims in any logical frame.

Students…basically, Raj just wants these people to behave. Are they not ready to do that? If they are they are not the victims.

Educationalists…how many times have read about IT raids and large number of unaccounted money they possess? So if their ‘unaccounted money’ is stopped they can’t be called victims.

Restaurateurs…yes 7-8 lakh of NI students do matter to them. But again they are not their only customers. No doubt some of them will be deeply affected.

Pune Mirror tries lamely to portray Builders as victims. Thats totally preposterous! Not a single builder was interviewed and we know that they really don’t care who buys the flat. They are sure…if students don’t buy them, somebody else will.

People they have chose do not even represent quarter of Pune’s population. For a fair opinion, they should have interviewed Housing Society chairmen, landlords, neighbors of NI students, ‘AAM JUNTA’ along with them.

So the whole drama created by Mirror to show ‘Pune cannot survive without North Indian students’ is utterly ridiculous. And the headline ‘Huge NO to Raj’ is completely baseless!

Disclaimer- I have nothing against NI students and I feel they have as much right to live in the city as anybody else. But I believe that Pune’s economy is not run by them. They are one of the factors.