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An unflattering article on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by Time magazine has come in for severe criticism with a large number of senior editors and eminent journalists expressing shock, dismay and surprise over the article.
'India's leader (Vajpayee) takes painkillers for his knees (which were replaced due to arthritis), has trouble with his bladder, liver and his one remaining kidney, takes a three-hour snooze every afternoon on doctor's orders and is given to interminable silences, indecipherable ramblings and, not infrequently, falling asleep in meetings', the article by Time's India correspondent, Alex Perry, says.
"It is unfortunate that a magazine of the reputation of Time would do a piece like this on our prime minister who is the democratically elected leader of the largest democracy in the world. It is an absolute abuse of the freedom given to the foreign correspondents who work here," Independent News Service editor and renowned TV anchor Rajat Sharma said.
Economic Times editor Arindam Sengupta said there was 'no big deal' about the prime minister belonging to an unconventional family.
"These things could be an issue in the Western world, but Indian people are broad-minded and they have accepted it," he told rediff.com.
As regards the prime minister's health, Sengupta said, "The health of a leader would be a matter of interest to the people, but the (Time) report appears to be going overboard."
Taking strong exception to the report, Vinod Sharma, chief of the political bureau at the Hindustan Times, said, "It is an insult to the people of India. Healthy or unhealthy, Vajpayee is our prime minister. If the magazine cannot substantiate the questions it has raised, it should tender an unqualified apology and in future refrain from dabbling in such kind of speculative articles."
"I would not make too much of it. There is a lot of bad journalism afoot," World Report editor and TV anchor Saeed Naqvi said, lamenting the fall in standards of journalism over the years.
"Remember the Fox News correspondent in Afghanistan who carried a revolver and announced in front of the camera that he would personally kill Osama bin laden, should he see him," he pointed out.
"His editors justified the act saying that it reflected the national mood. Ethics and standards in journalism have plummeted even as technology has advanced," he said.
He said that he began to search for the issue only after the government's rejoinder spawned a controversy. In fact, "the official response has helped augment the sale of that particular issue of Time magazine," he added.
Chandan Mitra, editor of the Pioneer newspaper, criticised the report in a front page editorial saying, "To write such gibberish about a man who leads one of the most open societies in the world is not just in pathetic taste but also indicative of a mindset that is contemptuous of non-Western societies."
Suman Dubey of the Wall Street Journal and Reuters (India) chief Mayra MacDonald, however, declined to comment on the plea that they had not read the report.
However, Rahul Bedi of the UK-based Daily Telegraph said, "It is not saying anything that is untrue. Most of it was common knowledge and Time magazine only published it."
Meanwhile, Perry is unapologetic and attributes his sources to 'somebody very close to the prime minister'.
"The report speaks for itself and there is no need for me to make any further comment," he said.
"I stand by my report," he told rediff.com.
EXTERNAL LINK The controversial article on the PM
RELATED REPORT BJP activists burn copies of Time magazine
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