That must be the reason why the Central Hall in Parliament is not telecast live. The Central Hall is where politicians of all hues shed colour and mix in camaraderie bonhomie, away from the prying eyes and ears of television cameras. And central to politicians is that they are bound by profession and make promises they seldom keep, even the ones they make to each other.

And while on Modi and Mamata, the Election Commission has stopped Mamata’s movie ‘Baghini’ from airing and that tigress’s softer side will remain a mystery to the populace. What Mamata thinks of Modi when not on a political stage would be interesting to know. That said, Modi’s claim that all politicians are a big family is also not fully believable. Modi attributed the statement to Congressman Ghulam Nabi Azad and Azad is thespian in the art of saying but not saying!

Pictures of BJP’s castaway MP of Northwest Delhi Udit Raj dumping the BJP and joining the Congress after being denied a second-time ticket is proof that ideology is only skin-deep for politicians and that they are not beyond using caste-identities to switch political parties and claim caste privilege in getting party tickets. In recent days, Modi himself has not been loath to play the OBC victim card.

Politicians shed identity and ideology when it suits or un-suits them. Priyanka Chaturvedi shifting allegiance to communal Shiv Sena from the secular Congress and Shiv Sena welcoming her with open arms proved the point conclusively. It’s not like an actor Sunny Deol or a boxer Vijender Singh joining the BJP and the Congress.

Modi in the Akshay Kumar interview mentions his admiration for the creativity of Twitter handles, the memes and tweets they come up with. Which reminds us that politicians themselves are the most creative lot. Modi’s 2014 election promises were the stuff of creativity legend, the ‘Acche Din Aayenge’ promise taking the cake.

Politicians, when they are not sharing bonhomie in the Central Hall and presenting Kurta and sweets to each other, are at their creative-best when making promises to the nation which they know they will not keep.

Modi and his lot know people are suckers for promises and the Aam Aadmi is quite the idiot despite the general impression spread that ‘Yeh Public Hai Sab Jaanti Hai.’ It is nature’s law that birds of a feather flock together and that applies to politicians also as witnessed when members of Parliament and state legislatives decided their salaries and perks.

It is only when laws applying to the economy, such as GST, and matters that matter to the public at large that politicians divide into camps. What goes on between politicians of different parties behind closed doors will never be fully known. Even journalists who win passes to enter the Central Hall join in on the conspiracy of silence, Omerta!

But the Akshay Kumar interview and Modi’s replies give us an indication. Modi, who shies away from explosive ‘Meet the Press’ situations, has exposed a slew of media personalities, redoubtable professional journalists, who he gave interviews to in recent weeks. They shied away from asking the uncomfortable questions – questions which would have left Modi squirming in his chair. Akshay Kumar turned out to be a better quizzer than all of them put together.

Journalists, when they become owners of TV channels and high-stake participants in the running of audio-visual media outlets owned by powerful private entities, lose whatever journalistic oats they have in them and it is then that the Akshay Kumar-type interviews rule the airwaves. That being said, despite the TRP-breaking Akshay-Modi interview, Modi continues to be a Prime Minister allowed to get away.

For example, even the actor did not ask him why and how he could remain mute spectator when the cow vigilante were out on the streets hammering innocent cattle-buyers to death. How he could stomach Mamata Banerjee’s Bengali sweets when such sour truths were out colouring red the fabric of the nation?

Modi told Akshay that if he had one flaw, it was his “overconfidence”; not understanding, perhaps, it is that very “overconfidence” which blinds him to other flaws in him. PM Modi to Akshay Kumar, said he has “never got a chance to get angry”. Bet that is a situation which can be remedied.

If he agrees to a presser on the Press Club of India lawns which is no longer grass but a concrete floor. The point is Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not been asked the concrete questions that might give him a chance to get angry! Modi’s idea of creativity will then change, forever! And new memes will be born. (IPA Service)