Too much shoe-sha

Reductionism. That is what everything has become.

By now the whole world and its sole-maker knows that home minister P.C.Chidambaram got a shoe thrown at him by an angry journalist from Dainik Jagran. I wish Jarnail Singh had tried to locate Jagdish Tytler, instead.

There are some who feel the action was uncalled for and uncouth. Our ministers are renowned for chappal-throwing right within the hallowed precincts of parliament when it is in session. The query was about Tytler, the criminal who has been let loose to contest elections again and been exonerated by the CBI. Unfortunately, the shoe throwing will not have much of an effect, unless this Jarnail Singh was planted by some members of the Congress who either genuinely believe that the culprits of 1984 must be arrested and sentenced or they just don’t like Tytler. There was a suggestion he could have been set-up by the BJP. Unlikely. The BJP would want Tytler to contest and then thrash him out.

I don’t care about the political parties. I just want this man to get the sentence he deserves. We label whole communities as criminals and only because this fellow is a big name there are tut-tuts about him being branded thus.

Having said this, I am completely against the Shiromani Akali Dal announcing a Rs 2 lakh cash award for the journalist. It isn’t about the support and anger expressed by an individual but the fate of thousands. The Dal could have donated this money to some charity working with the riot victims; I hope Jarnail Sigh either refuses the money outright or publicly donates it to whichever Sikh charity that still works among those affected he deems fit.

Or it would turn out to be just one more symbolic gesture reducing the immensity of the crime.