By Our Special Correspondent
Thrissur, Oct 28 (IVC) A controversy has erupted out of nothingness slinging mud on the noted cine star and former M P, Suresh Gopi and the Congress leader Shashi Tharoor M P, former international civil servant, over the former’s misbehavior with a woman journalist and latter’s speech at Kozhikode.
The allegation against Tharoor was that he described Hamas a terrorist organization, while delivering his keynote address in an event organized by the Indian Union Muslim League on the Beach at Kozhikode on October 26.
Coming to the misbehavior of Suresh Gopi with a woman journalist (reportedly the accused placed his hand on the shoulder of the victim) lacked credibility in the allegation.
No man would attempt to misbehave with a woman journalist in the presence of others. According to media reports, the alleged misbehavior place took when the woman journalist put forward inconvenient questions before which provoked to misbehavior. Suresh Gopi apologized with the journalist, he added, it was done with the affection of a father to her daughter.
Following the apology of Gopi, the allegation of misbehavior remained a gasless cylinder.
Under the circumstances, it would be observed that the allegation lacked substance and if the allegation was credible and maintainable, the journalist should have lodged a complaint with the concerned police station then and there.
It has every reason for one to believe that the allegation against Gopi was emanated out of conspiracy with a view to tarnishing the cine star’s image. No one would misbehave with a woman journalist in the presence of others and if so the victim would not hesitate to lodge a complaint with the police then and there.
The allegation of journalist pointed the fingers to the “narrow mindedness” of the journalist and the apology showed the “humility and broad-based mindedness of Suresh Gopi. Gone were the days that “journalism is the intelligent anticipation of events” But now no intelligence, but only anticipation. Coming to the allegation that Shashi Tharoor supported Israel by branding Hamas as terrorist organization was also baseless and untrue.
Delivering his keynote address in Kozhikode at a meeting organized to express solidarity with the Palestine people he said “While 1400 Israelis died in the Hamas terrorist attack, many more were killed in Gaza when Israel responded to it”.
Tharoor accused of violating international agreement on war such as Geneva Convention while pounding Gaza . Tharoor had severely criticized Israel of its bombardments on Gaza and stopping supply of water, food and gas to Gaza.
The allegation that Tharoor branded Hamas a terrorist organization was absurd and baseless. Tharoor countered the allegation saying it was separated a “single’ word from his long speech supporting Palestine with a view to tarnishing his image as a national leader.
At this juncture, one is reminded of what late V K Krishna Menon had described the pressmen in India in 1960s, he had said often “ When I said, I ate a banana, you pressmen will write that I was eaten by banana”. This maxim still holds good in the case of pressmen in India.
