GREATER VOICE™

4  P A R L I A M E N T   S T R E E T

Hello! Thank you for visiting this page. I am especially honored to be joined by you in my fight against a corrupt system at the helms in Indian news agency The Press Trust of India Ltd. or PTI in short.

Initially, I was hesitant to start writing this diary believing for sure it would involve opening of the heart and putting things bluntly. But since I’ve always carried a greater responsibility, I decided to join the dots.

In this diary titled ‘4 Parliament Street‘, I’m using relevant photographs and documents, wherever necessary to substantiate the jottings. I’m also relying on first hand accounts and my own experiences.

Postings are normally done every Sunday evening, when I turn into a storyteller.

I assume you would earnestly wait for the weekly uploads and would think about them.

Please feel free to encourage or criticize me, fairly and frankly.

… Looking forward to your support and blessings.

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August 97

Joining PTI at its head office in New Delhi on August 1, 1997 was a good break, despite a meager stipend. We were a lot of 40 odd journalists inducted into the news agency after a difficult written test and screwing interviews.

To begin with, we were quite out-placed. The PTI Building, situated at 4, Parliament Street, New Delhi, was then under renovation. Inside, there were no chairs for the new recruits. Either we could afford to stand whole day or prefer sitting on the hands of the old chairs pre-occupied by friendly seniors.

We needed to be accommodated and supported. Instead, we were put under strenuous postures while discovering the new job relationship. We were never comfortable. But it was our choice.

Teaching classes by seniors were the only one-hour period everyday when we would smile inside the building. First, because of the ‘classes’ and secondly, for being allowed to sit in Godrej-make chairs in the Seminar Room which had already come up in one part of the 1^st floor of the building.

We were to report to different news departments for next six months. It was difficult, as there were no Department Heads. Things were just running. People were just working, routinely and mechanically. Only the Sports wing had an editor. But Mr. Jagannadha Rao’s responsibilities reflected more of a senior copy editor.

My friends in the Hindi wing (Bhasha) were having no less complicated time. Their whole Hindi service was headless. English service Editor Mr.  S. D. Narayan used to double up as Bhasha Editor as well which exertion he would never be fascinated about. I know the miserable computation he would get for the double duty. But he had no choice, too.

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The Brainwash

During on-the-job training, I found a very disturbing trend. People were quitting in large numbers. The latest House Journal which was provided to us – June 1997 – itself mentioned 42 resignations. I was shaky.

Further, I found the office atmosphere choking. There wasn’t clean air around. Safe drinking water was another problem.

But, no one in the office premises would dare talk, confidently. Someone may be always listening. Every conversation was being overheard.

There was no one I could discuss my problems with. I had no clue about my service conditions. I wanted to know my company’s rules and regulations so that I could follow them in true letter and spirit.

However, there was neither the HR Department nor a Legal Cell. My Regional Manager Ms Padma Alva, whom I had reported while joining, would see me with contempt. Once, when I raised an important issue related to my leave, she was rude. “Why don’t you leave PTI?” was her terse unprovoked statement.

I would have normally been shocked by the such treatment but since by then it had become transparently clear that there was a caucus in the company which promoted only its YES MEN and would not listen to anybody else, her behavior did not come as a surprise.

Sadly, this caucus comprised of persons from both the management and employees and it had the covert support of a section of journalist and non-journalist staff which would act as the eyes and ears of ‘the management’.

Other than them, every single officer or any journalist was a mere nominal person. It appeared I had made a mistake by joining P-T-I, which abbreviation I had learnt long back from my school general knowledge book. It was pathetic. It was killing. It was suffocating.

The lecture session by the General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Mr. M. K. Razdan finally brought about my collapse when, in a class of his own, he ensured presence of all those occupying ‘top’ journalistic positions. They were then noticeably made to sit there, only to be bullied by him. To me, it appeared they had already been conditioned for the situation. The General Manager cum Editor-in-Chief wanted to make it very clear to us that he was the only boss of the company. Many amongst us …maybe… had no doubt about that, with their journalistic fire and self-esteem having been wiped and flushed down. They stood brainwashed.

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Toothless Tigers

Taking over Reuters’ India operations from Feb.1, 1949, PTI functioned from a colonial bungalow near Parliament House for over two decades. Its building came up at 4, Parliament Street, New Delhi only in the 70s and now, after ‘extensive renovation’, the news agency was ready to move into the 21st century journalism.

But, then, its journalists did not have cell phones or even e-mail ids. Instead, they were given pagers – which one-way device they would either hide or use with fluctuating vacillation before their modern counterparts from other news organizations.

Internet was provided, though only on one computer and this computer could not be accessed by everyone. One had to play hide and seek to take a glimpse of Yahoo or Hotmail homepages.

On the other hand, the management of the company claimed its services had ‘improved’ and was ‘improving’. Outgoing PTI Chairman Mr. C. R. Irani would especially credit General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Mr. M. K. Razdan for his ‘reorganization’ and ‘efforts’ while Irani’s successor Ms. Shobhana Bhartia hailed Razdan’s ‘hard work and direction’ in strengthening agency’s news services.

The wave of resignations or the dipping morale of the members of staff, however, was of no concern to anyone. The extreme step of self-immolation by Hyderabad employee Mr. Hemant Kumar inside the office there had not moved even the dry stalks, anywhere. Such was the reign of terror of Mr. Razdan’s management.

Some amongst us knew about the Hyderabad incident. But, I would find their faces deeply lined and ashen.

Now, it was the turn of quality journalists, whom I appreciated and trusted, to leave the organization. For them, PTI Building at 4, Parliament Street was a Nazi concentration camp.

Yes, it was hard to work there. But for me, it was harder to quit; and certainly the hardest to give up as an injured soldier.

Honestly, the walls of 4, Parliament Street would shake with the sound of Mr. Razdan’s boots, with the electrical feeling of horror. But then, and every time, I wanted to do something for the people working there, to help them overcome their fear.

I believed I was a hard worker, a thorough journalist. I wasn’t under any false impression.

I decided to stay and take the challenge, head-on.

Everyone was afraid of Mr. Razdan as he would publicly ill-treat the journalist and non-journalist staff up to the next-in-command Mr. Arun Kumar, to the extent that they would be driven to resign. This way Mr. Razdan would use his position to snuff out any challenge to his authority.

Though himself just a graduate and devoid of any professional qualification, not even a diploma in management or journalism, he would not let anybody compete with him.

In the process, Mr. Razdan deprived PTI of good quality people and stifled smooth and proper functioning of a company considered life-line of the Indian media.

Doesn’t it happen in our lives that many of us believe we should do something positive, something solid but very few of us in point of fact get round to doing?

It was true for the Board of Directors of PTI as well who were actually entrusted to run the company.

The members of this Board have been well-known people including Punjab Kesari’s Mr. Vijay Kumar Chopra, Times of India’s Mr. Vineet Kumar Jain, Hindu’s Mr. N. Ravi, Anand Bazaar Patrika’s Mr. Aveek Kumar Sarkar and Indian Express’ Mr. Shekhar Gupta. But I always found them lacking to push themselves or even perform as a PTI Director.

Poor people. They would meet once in three months or so and more important would leave everything for Mr. Razdan to decide.

Such uncaring mind-set of the Directors and their apathy in managing the administration of an organization like PTI disenchanted the members of the staff.

But I had discovered this man – Mr. M. K. Razdan. To me, he appeared to be wearing a mask concealing a dark side consumed with a superiority complex, egotism and vindictiveness. His out-of-the-way special treatment to one of our female journalists and his backing, promoting and patronage of those belonging to his Kashmiri Pandit community was obnoxious and offensive.

Could it be possible that Mr. Razdan would continue his overdrive without a tacit support of PTI Directors? Or were the Directors really, mere toothless tigers? Wouldn’t any of them sniff, even for a while, that Mr. Razdan had converted PTI into a personal, private, and his own fiefdom?

I strongly believed that beneath their masks of holiness, the PTI Directors did not have any confusion about the man they had chosen to run PTI.

But, in the process, they forgot the purpose for which PTI was created and nurtured as India’s premier news agency.

Meanwhile, Mr. Razdan became all powerful also by pocketing the trade union of the company.

No wonder, one of the Board members Mr. M. P. Veerendrakumar, also a former Indian Labor and Finance Minister, would thus plead helplessness before me, during one of our future meetings: “I am the Chairman of PTI; but even I do not have a chair to sit in PTI.”

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Puppet Trade Union

It was disappointing from the very beginning to see some persons claiming themselves to be trade unionists in PTI.

As a matter of fact, they never behaved, nor looked like trade unionists. Shameless creatures, they would not even profess their support for an employee.

Rather, they would turn a blind eye to what was happening around us and even go to the extent of siding with Mr. Razdan in finishing anyone who dared to raise a demand or support the cause of PTI people.

These selfish and money-minded persons had a clear strategy in their mind: Do Not Raise A Demand; Do Not Let Anyone Raise Any Demand.

I found, mostly during my less-burdened night shifts, that the members of the staff actually hated such trade unionists… their vociferous voice… their iniquitous approach… and …their depraved conduct.

Honestly… they were… indeed… nasty guys …and… the goons of Mr. Razdan.

…Bloody Villains…

Throughout PTI, therefore, from … Kashmir … to … Kanyakumari…, no one could raise his voice.

Everyone knew they and their voice, both, shall be smothered, choked.

Virtually, there wasn’t any union, any trade union in PTI; neither in Delhi, nor anywhere else.

I repeat – there wasn’t any trade union. But, yes, there were people trading in unions. Oh My God!

We had our offices at about 80 places in India. Plus, there were more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers covering almost every district and towns in the country. These journalists were ably supported by about 800 non-journalist staff. Collectively, these people, with their blood and sweat, had made PTI India’s premier news agency and had toiled to spread the organization’s reach as vast as the Indian Railways.

PTI stringers, in any case, had no voice in the organization. Generally, they were paid something between Rs.250 to Rs.500 per month. For them it was Period.

And certainly, it would not have been possible for either the staffers of all PTI centers to be able to reach the management, or for the management to be able to deal with the unions at each level and at each station separately as an independent individual unit.

I would have appreciated if a genuine trade unionist in the company would have taken the role of an all-India representative of the PTI staffers, uniting the entire workforce from all the centers and regions under a common big umbrella.

But, to my utter shock, I found one Mr. M.S.Yadav, who called himself the general secretary of federation of employees, mortifying that consecrated post.

This gentleman should have operated through the four regional affiliates in country’s North, South, East and West and could have been instrumental in wiping every tears no matter where they were shed.

However, money had blinded him. He was …openly… hand in gloves with Mr. Razdan, and the two were honeymooning.

Gosh!

Their marriage was ungodly, immoral, satanic and brutish.

Unmindful, both were engrossed in a series of demoniacal acts.

In reality, Mr. Razdan and Mr. Yadav (Razdan-Yadav henceforth) had formed a caucus.

Their group had two more prominent members – Regional Manager (North) Ms. Padma Alva and Business Bureau Chief Mr. Rakesh Hari Pathak.

As a result, the silent majority suffered, while the autocracy of the caucus – at the helms of affairs in PTI – flourished. The result was tyranny.

All this while, I struggled, as anyone else, to find union leaders… … …There were only dealers left.

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Where The Mind Is Without Fear

I had traveled from Muzaffarpur in India’s east to the cosmopolitan New Delhi to join PTI.

I was carrying a dream, a real big vision.

I did not even think twice to sacrifice my professional associations with ‘The Times of India’ and ‘The Hindustan Times’ newspapers when I received my PTI joining letter.

Once arriving in the Indian capital, and while inside PTI, my mind was without fear. I had always been inspired by Mr. Rabindranath Tagore’s politically charged poem, “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high …”

A superior PTI Building at 4 Parliament Street, New Delhi, with Parliament House, Reserve Bank of India, Labor Ministry and All India Radio as its neighbors would double the force of anyone who worked there. I, thus, worked with honor and put hard labor; never allowing anyone to find mistakes in my copies.

Honestly, I desired to be a disciplined journalist.

At the same time … I believed … discipline does not mean cowardice.

Fortunately, I had some of the best hands as my immediate seniors both in the reporting and editorial: They would work diligently with news copies, do, re-do stories; many a times re-write the entire text.

They had nose for news. Not believing in ‘press-release’ journalism, they would file exclusive stories, day after day. Most importantly, they would not take sides while writing or editing stories.

Alas, our association was not destined to last longer. One after another, each one of them started quitting PTI, feeling disconsolate and let down.

… Only if PTI could stop them from leaving!

I felt alone, left out.

But, if you are on your two legs, honest and brave, why would you allow any person from any caucus to present himself as a superman!

Moreover, I had come from a far distant place to work in New Delhi which, to me, was Mecca of Indian journalism.

I was determined.

I had no inclination to surrender, no design to climb higher without acquiring merit.

Huh! … This was probably revealed to the caucus.

The caucus had discovered me, as well. Sequentially, I was presented prime reporting as well as joint secretary post in the trade union. Not impressed, I refused both the offers with the same level-headedness.

I was (more) concerned that Mr. M.K.Razdan was going far ahead in his unilateralist overdrive. PTI was not my private company… … … It was not his either.

But, other than misusing his place and clout … being the Editor-in-Chief of India’s news agency Press Trust of India, Mr. Razdan would, bald-facedly, treat one of our female journalists with pomp. Both would spend few hours together inside Mr. Razdan’s office, everyday, during which time no one would have access to PTI’s General Manager and Editor-in-Chief.

Gosh! News, for certain, was never discussed inside.

And nauseatingly, some toady officers of the company would wag their tail behind the duo.

It was so unbecoming of these people.

Why would not then Mr. Razdan ask one of the senior-most journalists Mr. D.D.Gupta (whose initials were ‘DDG‘), in an editorial meeting, as to why he did not have ‘DOG‘ as his initials! … Shit!

Mr. Razdan was not alone in bringing disgrace to PTI. Other members of his caucus, too, had appointed themselves in planning dishonest gains.

When questioned by any quarter, they would –  T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R  – convince themselves of their invincible power by putting virtually anyone at their mercy. Their deadly combination would terrify anyone, everyone, sending chills down their spines.

I was a small fry. But I was an incorrigible straight cheek. I had my goals in mind. I would keep my eyes and ears open. And I would busy myself in picking up journalistic threads and acquiring professional capabilities so that I could stand out in a crowd of journalists in Indian capital New Delhi.

I would apply my full mind to news stories; would show my editorial judgments and complete every assignment given to me. I would never feel the pressure of work, at any point of time.

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The Hoot

I was given a book on origin and growth of PTI, written by Mr. G.N.S.Raghavan, a journalist.

The book – PTI Story – had been published by the news agency itself, way back in 1987.

Mr. Raghavan had attempted to narrate the growth of my news agency PTI in about 200 pages. I would read few pages almost daily … I felt so connected.

But can there be a substitute for truth and critical thinking?

While in office, I would not find the PTI staff being inspired, motivated or energized…by anything. The cause, obviously, was the Fear Factor. Razdan-Yadav’s caucus was too dominating.

There was no doubt that Mr. Razdan, from the management side, and Mr. Yadav, from the union side, were master operators … Double Dealers … Both practically had no work in PTI. They shall not do any meaningful work.

They would always be busy writing their own PTI Story … quite different from Mr. Raghavan’s.

On the other hand, PTI journalists slogged. And they slogged hard.

Also, our non-journalist staff would touchingly appear at their best. But, alas! They would not be happy. They would clearly realise they did not have time to enjoy all that they had worked for. They were being wronged.

Aren’t journalists like night owls? Don’t we work when the rest of the world is partying!

But in PTI, most of the people had chosen to surrender before Razdan-Yadav.

PTI Directors had also chosen not to see the reality. Nobody would think they could check the dangerously rising clout of the caucus.

Some would even try not to notice anything more than saving their job.

Then, one believer approached me one day to advise: “Neeraj, you can’t change this system; it is better you become part of the system.”

I will not agree to this.

It was a bad day … for … it was a bad counsel.

The evening was worse. I had Bob Dylan that night:

“How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man? …

How many years can some people exist

Before they’re allowed to be free? …

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky? …

Yes, ‘n’ how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry? …

Yes, ‘n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,

The answer is blowin’ in the wind.”

Yes – the next morning, I had discovered that the answer, my dear friends, was blowing in the wind.

Yes – a hard, a hard, a hard, and a hard, a hard rain was going to fall.

I decided – I shall not be a low profile PTI man.

I decided – I’ll work hard, and I’ll speak harder.

I decided – I’ll do my duties, ‘n’ I’ll want my rights.

And.

I decided – I’ll not quietly fade away.

I knew only one thing makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. I had no fear. My mind was without fear. And the head was held high.

I was realizing: everyone was desperately looking for me to blow the whistle. Could I then stop? Impossible.

That time, there were – 1 billion people; 28 states; 18 official languages; and 55,000 registered newspapers in India.

AND (sic) there was One News Agency which claimed to be commanding an overwhelming 90 per cent of share of news agency quotes in the Indian newspapers.

This made Mr. Razdan a despot. He boasted of the power of censor. No one could impress upon him. Mr. Razdan commanded an astonishing 90 per cent terror. Rest 10 per cent was being taken care of by his caucus.

His spread was immense; while the subjects on both banks were in turmoil.

But Bhupen Hazarika’s Ganga, the river, was flowing quietly … turning defenseless, powerless people into forceful strugglers, marching forward. … Why shouldn’t I, then? … My loyalty lay with PTI.

I uttered a loud clamorous shout.

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Neeraj – Razdan Spat

Part I

I shall not be exaggerating if I describe Mr. Razdan’s relationship with PTI people being characterized by humiliation and hostile atmosphere. Devilish man.

And if you dare to look into his eyes, you’re finished. Gone. Faster than the wind.

If you’d fit in his scheme of things, he’d send you for World Hindi Conference at the Windsor Castle, country home of the British Queen, even if you are primarily the Editor of English Service. Else, you’ll be threatened with dismissal; irrespective of the fact that you had braved your way up Srinagar-Leh highway to report on the Kargil conflict.

Mr. Razdan would reward you for non-performance, even if it caused heartburns at all levels. And at the same time he would declare that a substantial part of the workforce cannot be defined as good workers.

The such language, as seen above, was protested by me. I was just elected as the General Secretary of the PTI Employees’ Union, Delhi in January 2002.

The House Journal would go to entire 1400 PTI staff across the country. But no one had the courage to protest. Everyone had accepted their fate.

The fear was too much. But the angst was no less.

I then chose to counter Mr. M. S. Yadav who was then the General Secretary of Federation of PTI Employees Unions.

Being part of Mr. Razdan’s caucus and a puppet union leader, Mr. Yadav declined to join me, and, instead, laughed: “Right now we’re headed for our union meeting at Kanpur for which Razdan Saheb has given Rs.30,000; and you’re creating such ruckus!”

See the guy!

He himself shall not work. In fact, I had not seen him doing any work since I joined PTI in August 1997.

Nobody … not even a table … a chair … or any of his flatterers … would tell me what for PTI paid him. Senseless administration. Ridiculous.

I can say with conviction that Mr. M. S. Yadav was a goonda. Shame on him. Shame on his God Mr. M. K. Razdan. Company does not function like this, Gentlemen.

In fact all PTI House Journals had always been Razdan Journals, wherein Mr. Razdan would get himself pompously flashed and depicted as God. But he, in reality, was so small a God — GOD OF HIS MEN AND WOMEN ONLY. Gosh! His love for himself was so diminutive, so mean. Snob. Pretender.

I would thus wonder: “Oh God, why thy sea is so great and my boat so small.”

And it was no secret that Razdan-Yadav caucus was making money without actually putting any labor, while most of us were busy bringing to our work admirable drive and commitments.

The rule by the caucus was hurting the organisation, while our presence was auguring particularly well for the future of PTI.

One person to watch …that moment… was Mr. Indukant Dixit, a vibrant journalist. He had unrivaled enthusiasm and inexorable speed. Matchless. Without equal.

He would recurrently overwhelm all and sundry. He was very friendly to each one of us. A tough chap. Polite and courteous at the same time — He did not celebrate his confirmation in services until all his colleagues got confirmed. Imagine!

I saw a silver lining, then.

Mr. Dixit was a messenger of hope and cheer. PTI people, I thought, no longer needed to worship their actual God by hiding in graves. They were to be set free, soon. Mr. Indukant Dixit Had Arrived.

… Only if Mr. Dixit had some inkling of the things that were in store for him!

Would Razdan-Yadav caucus waste any time? No. Evil minds were set in motion.

The reaction being swift, precise – A big conspiracy was hatched, thick enough to spoil PTI atmosphere, for ever. But, it suited the caucus.

How could I remain a mute spectator? A self-less person, who was destined to contribute to PTI’s success, was being made to defend himself, first.

The trick was to force Mr. Dixit to abandon his scheme of defending others.

Mr. Dixit’s crime number 1: To contest union elections in PTI;

His crime number 2: To win confidence of members of PTI staff;

His crime number 3: To attempt to establish a healthy working condition in PTI;

His crime number 4: To inquire from Mr. Razdan, in an editorial meeting, the criteria for promotions in PTI;

His crime number 5: To raise grievances of PTI staff in union meetings;

And

His ultimate crime was to sing and make others sing at a national-level union meet the patriotic and inspiring song, “Honge Kaamyaab, Hum Honge Kaamyaab” (We Shall Overcome, We Shall Overcome).

Immediately, danger warning levels hissed out loud. Mr. M. S. Yadav, present in that union meet, challenged Mr. Dixit: “Let me see, how do you do it!” Such a snake.

Thereafter, Razdan-Yadav pitted one union against another. The caucus created a puppet union in Delhi and made the entire PTI staff, across the country, to dance to its horrendous tunes. Do beggars have any choice? The caucus then ran riotously to compel members of the staff to surrender before it, leaving their trade union.

They enforced totalitarianism.

Each member of the Razdan-Yadav caucus then took turns to rape the struggling trade union in PTI.

Encouraged by the slow wheels of justice, failing trade union laws, some doggish employees, and a terrified staff, the brutal caucus thereafter influenced every outcome by networking with politicians and administrators, since the government was crucially involved in taking a number of decisive actions at a number of stages.

In addition to their own achievements, their lawyers would do all mean things to mastermind outcomes.

And the role of a caucus member Ms. Padma Alva’s claimed relative Ms Margaret Alva was always visible.

There was provocation enough.

I was an important part of PTI. I was therefore expected to play an equally important role.

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Neeraj – Razdan Spat

Part II

I had reasons to talk to PTI General Manager Mr. M. K. Razdan directly, one-to-one. His actions were calculatingly maddening. The working conditions were becoming more and more unworkable, unacceptable.

And…

I was wearing two hats then – one of a sober employee and that of the general secretary of Delhi union.

But didn’t the PTI staff vote for change! Didn’t they vote for me!! Didn’t they elect and declare me as their representative!!! Yes, most of the puppets of the management, including the outgoing general secretary Mr. Amitabh Roy Chaudhury, had rightly been shown the door.

Now … before my eyes, there were bleeding doves in plenty. And I had no option but to allow their wounds to turn me into a person I was not.

PTI Building at 4 Parliament Street was set to see a history being made. I wanted to give both my people and Razdan-Yadav caucus a little extra that they would never forget. I revived my company’s punctured trade union. I organised people for the purpose of collective bargaining.

And I announced: “No One Should Feel Threatened. No One Should Be Terrorized. Else, I Shall Not Seek Permission To Enter Into GM’s Room. I Will Barge In.”

I knew thousands of languages. But still I began with a smile, believing it would beat them all. I told Mr. Razdan’s office to let me know when he would be free to meet me.

When invited, I reminded this bitter man that joy still exists in this world and that he should let PTI become a transparent organisation.

I told him politely that Ms Padma Alva must stop smoking in the balcony with the management’s defeated puppets and they must stop conspiring there in open and in Ms Padma’s chamber against the rejuvenated public.

I reminded Mr. Razdan that he was at the fag end of his career and it’s time to start giving healing touches to the wounded employees.

I was accompanied by my president Mr. Vinod Kumar who desired PTI must be radically overhauled and the ruling caucus dismantled.

We also requested Mr. Razdan that he needed to wake up to fulfill our dreams. And we weren’t before him asking for the moon.

I expected him to promise at least three things:

(i) to remove the existing fear of suffering;

(ii) to commit a uniform promotion and transfer policy; and

(iii) to refrain from interfering with the trade union in the company.

I was talking to a man no one could tell when he was actually listening. No one could make him listen, anytime. And in PTI? There, he commanded the divine right of kingship.

But that day – perhaps for the first time – he appeared restless, uneasy, corked and waiting to shed his skin.

He would have had ample free time to think over our discussions. I wasn’t in a hurry. In fact, I was very positive. I wanted to grow. I talked in the larger interest of PTI.

But, unfortunately, my such attitude was most insulting to this man called Mr. M. K. Razdan.

He wanted a deal.

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The Deal

Look at this man. He wanted to push too hard.

I wanted to make the entire PTI staff happy. He wanted his happiness only.

He dropped many hints, without being unambiguous. I expected him to conduct himself so. After all, he was Mr. Razdan – M.K.Razdan.

With his puppets having lost the union elections, he was looking for new members of staff to serve at his table. He had been doing that, quite routinely, for years. He had become used to it.

But this time he was talking to a leadership which could not be bought. Sachchi. I was not a mere nut.

Mr. Razdan wanted to rape the union. And I was there to protect it.

Mr. Razdan wanted to buy the new leadership. But I would not allow him even window shopping.

There, right in His Chamber, where he considered himself King – and wanted everyone else to salute him indeed as a King – I was sitting with my iron will, iron jaw and iron stomach.

He was a human. And there wasn’t much difference between him and me. Moreover, he too was an employee. In fact, he was appointed; while I was elected.

He told me in Black & White. No tip-offs now.  According to him, the PTI Board wanted the union to go. “There was a time. But it’s over now,” Mr. Razdan persuaded. And he went on: “You have a bright future … You should better concentrate on your job … We have high hopes from you.”

This shameless general manager was talking to a general secretary and he was talking business.

Clearly, I had two options – relish or perish.

He Was Talking Now.

He was hurting me with his words. He was hurting my people. He was hurting my organisation. He was hurting PTI.

“There were few who went against me … No Director even heard them … And we don’t know where they are today. … There are some who go to government ministers; little knowing that such ministers sit here on my sofa – to your left – and eat what I give them.”

How was he talking! What was he talking! Did he expect me to believe his Biblical Integrity! Was he really so tall! (And rest of us so small!) Was he telling all truth! Did he really mean business!

One thing was becoming clear – PTI risked becoming Razdan’s brothel for his selfish gains.

PTI was in trouble. My news agency was in trouble. My company was in trouble. This man’s ego was bigger than PTI itself. He wanted to have rum among the ruins.

He gave me liberty to come back, and to return as another of his ‘Yes Man’.

My president Mr. Vinod Kumar, not very comfortable with the conversation, walked out.

Mr. Razdan told me, then: “Take your time … Believe me … I won’t harm you … I will protect your interests … You have a constituency … You take whatever you want for your people … When you come next we can discuss contract employment … Your Federation you know … They don’t have any objections …”

Could I still tolerate this Man!

Could I answer this man in His language!

Would PTI journalists sustain this man’s Colors?

Would other PTI Centers not protest Mr. Razdan’s impending moves?

Was he acting on his own or trying to implement what PTI Board wanted!

Was he sure of his Map!

All these questions were ringing in my ears. And then he hit very hard: “We have idiots at all PTI Centers, across the country. They don’t even deserve to be retired; they need to be fired. Just wait and see what is going to happen in Hindustan Times. It’s a matter of time.”

It was too much for me.

This man wanted to reach the Divine Gates by burning us in hell. I was strained. This man needed to be defeated. And for this, extraordinary steps were required. But this GM had his men in the offices of CM to PM.

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From CM to PM

I had no option … but to start … and start now.

I had music in my soul … With this music, I wanted to fulfill the dreams of my PTI people … Every individual was close to me, near my heart … But first on my agenda was transparency.

The callousness in running India’s claimed premier news agency needed to be replaced by a grater sense of responsibility. Pitilessness in the administration was required to give way to healing touches. Each employee, except those belonging to the Razdan-Yadav caucus, was crying and longing for space.

Journalists wanted freedom to write what they felt was worth writing … They wanted to break away from the dull and dry “He Said” and “He Added” types of news.

PTI had better reporters, better newsmen, better hands, and better workforce. But it did not have a better leader. Its Editor-in-Chief Mr. M.K.Razdan was a poor performer.

PTI needed a Leader. But in Razdan, it had a Dealer.

PTI journalists were full of courage. But each one had mouth taped and nose jabbed.

Exclusives from PTI were dehydrating, slowly and gradually. Clearly, Razdan-Yadav caucus was promoting its interests, only.

A report from a cricket match being played in South Africa would carry the byline of one Mr. Ashish Shukla from a South African dateline — irrespective of the fact that the story would actually get written and sent from New Delhi by the Sports Desk, which would watch the live telecast on ESPN-Star Sports and file the story.

I can bet Mr. Shukla wrote shit but for Razdan, he was Mr. fit. Once, Mr. Shukla even wrote(!) a book on cricket, which was endorsed by Mr. Razdan. In fact, Mr. Shukla was never a PTI employee. Still, he drew more than the entire PTI Sports Desk would collectively get — Rs.1 canteen tea included.

Such kiss and lick tales were in plenty: The PTI man following India’s biggest kickback deal – ‘Bofors’ – was instructed to see the interests of the Hindujas. Then, the sub-editors would have their fingers tied if they ‘misspelt’ NRI businessman ‘Lord’ Swraj Paul’s name. “It is Swraj and not Swaraj … Do you understand that … How many times I will tell you … Shakeel, remove him from news desk … Put him on scan.” That would be the quick fury and consequence.

In journalism, we’re taught that when dog bites a man, it is not news. But in PTI, what Mr. Razdan said was always news.

Predictably therefore, PTI stories started disappearing from newspapers. Still, Mr. Razdan would get Trainee Journalists prepare a self-patting PTI Impact Sheet. This he would use to show the toothless PTI Directors at the end of financial years that “All Is Well”. And then, the Directors would shower lavish praises on Mr. Razdan, reading out from the speeches prepared by Mr. Razdan himself in the so-called Annual General Meetings of the PTI Board.

No Director would see that PTI Was Actually Bleeding. It was a tragedy that PTI’s red floors appeared clean to them. All Dhritrashtras.

Unchecked … then … Mr. Razdan sucked the senior journalists. And all those in lower ranks were hounded by his bulldog Md. Shakeel Ahmad – Chief News Editor.

I was surprised to find that Mr. Shakeel indeed had all the qualities of a bulldog. If you look for Bulldog in Wikipedia, you would be amazed. I’ve tried. And, hence, I’m telling you. No wonder — today, Md. Shakeel has become the General Manager of the company. Aren’t bulldogs very fast movers!

Hooted, Booted and Looted Journalists of PTI were thus made introverted stumpy scribes. It Was Amazing To Discover The Fact That No PTI Journalist Asked Any Question At Press Conferences.

If you are not a journalist, you can still notice this sheepish tendency while watching any live news coverage. No PTI journalist would get up or raise his hand. Mr. Razdan wanted them to be like this. Opening the mouth … even outside PTI was strictly prohibited. The tradition is continuing.

At Agra, in 2001, where the then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf held a surprise meet with about half-a-dozen editors, every editor except Mr. Razdan talked. This predisposition had been superimposed on PTI journalists. I was afraid if Mr. Razdan had also applied for its patent.

But why should I discuss all these!

Mr. Razdan and his caucus never wanted PTI to prosper. They were only interested in making money. And whosoever challenged them … whosoever questioned them … whosoever discussed their activities … (there were hardly few) … all were thrown out of PTI.

Mr. Razdan could do this because he had tremendous influence on India’s Who’s Who.

Everyone – From CM to PM – had always been – Yes, Always Been – under his weight. And I cannot be faulted if I call Mr. Razdan a media mafia. He was one. He’s still.

Mr. Razdan in fact has had nexus with all those powerful and mighty. They still serve him and he serves them. This has been a mutually beneficial plot. And this arrangement, for years, has been frustrating everyone who dares to speak against Mr. Razdan or his caucus.

For that reason, Mr. Razdan also displayed a surprising degree of recalcitrance by flaunting with impunity all laws and overlooked any representation from anybody.

I’d watch Mr. Razdan carefully, you can guess. And you know: Like A Chameleon, His Tongue Was Twice The Length Of His Body. And It Is Ever Growing.

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How Razdan Operated

Everyone in PTI was fed up with Mr. Razdan – across the country. Both journalists and non-journalists were unhappy with him, angry with him. All were frustrated, exhausted.

Each one of them would stand before a mirror and ask: “Am I afraid of him?” “Can’t I speak the truth?” “This time I will tell him.” “I must confront him now.”

But none of them would actually lose patience with the wearying situation. None would do enough to stop him. Every individual was out of depth, perhaps.

How helpless can journalists be! How powerless can their trade union be! How ineffective can their Board of Directors be!

I would ask These Questions to myself. And my difficulties would multiply every time I’d see an incapacitated journalist.

I was not a magician. I had no charisma. I was a plain speaking simple person. I just believed in calling a spade a spade. I, thus, started discussing Razdan in public. I began calling the members of his caucus Puppets.

Lo. Suddenly, there were enemies! The predictable plurals of a wicked system started showing me their true colors. After all, they were part of Mr. Razdan’s syllabus.

But that was good. It meant I stood up for something.

Razdan and Yadav were also realizing that I was becoming infectious.

My politically ‘incorrect’ plain speaking was stimulating the Dead Cells. The skeletons were beginning to move.

For almost a decade, PTI had been ruled by a hip·po·pot·a·mus. But… this dictator was going to get a reply… now. I was there to puncture him. His caucus was thus in trouble. It was clear that I was in PTI for a special purpose. And for me, PTI people were more special than anything else.

Out of them, the innocents had the key to my heart. They would meet me often. We would discuss strategies to strengthen the trade union. Working condition was another top priority.

The office atmosphere needed to be improved; there was no hesitation about it. Everything, every inch, was to be made transparent. A voice was to be raised — loud and perceptible.

The corrupt needed to be undressed and controlled.

Besides — Too Strong, Too Big, Too Huge, Too Wide, Too False An Ego Was To Be Demolished.

People had endured bullying. Now it was their turn to bully the bully. The tenses at 4 Parliament Street were to change from passive to active.

I began leading PTI guys; and many actually got ready to defend themselves.

On January 30, 2002, I thus wrote to Mr. Razdan: “If no positive action is taken …the union will be driven to take a course of action it will consider appropriate … The union disowns responsibility for any disruption that may be caused by its action it will be driven to take.”

We’d been thinking deeply the proposed step-by-step action to deal with the situation PTI had fallen in… and most of the discussions took place at union meetings where members of Razdan-Yadav caucus would also be present with big ears. And as we prepared to take on the nasty system, the bastards amongst us openly sided with Mr. Razdan. They had been bought over – for petty dog meals.

Mr. Razdan, thus, opted for a battlefront. He Started Operating. To begin with … through his trusted caucus Lieutenant Ms. Padma Alva. Below is the certificate he issued to Ms. Alva to act, as per his desire.

And in a flash, I was served a court order – a day after on 1.2.2002. No system could have acted with such rapidity. No organism would have run so fast on such great ‘threat’ from me.

Obviously, their court petition was ready before hand. Instead of talking peace, instead of finding a solution, instead of initiating a meaningful dialogue, they had been preparing for a fight. Clearly, the caucus had succeeded in provoking me with great precision.

At about 8 in the night, on February 1, 2002, I was served this order of the Delhi High Court:

Quite innocently, I believed the powers given by PTI Directors to Mr. Razdan would be withdrawn on account of their blatant misuse against the best interest of the organization. The above being one such example.

In fact … if the PTI directors were genuinely interested in the welfare of the news agency, they would have seen how Mr. Razdan was running the organization as his private fiefdom in a most arbitrary, whimsical and malafide manner.

And look at his deputy Ms. Alva. She ran to the court like a proud woman looking down on things and PTI people. She wasn’t even ready to see something that was above. Was she a non-believer?

I had no idea… no inkling… that I would be served a court order… a court order at 8 p.m. during my duty. What was the need for PTI to go to court? How was this going to change the course of PTI? How was this going to benefit PTI? Will the interests of my union… my people be hurt!… I walked slowly… talking… thinking… reading… the order.

And when I returned to my seat after receiving the court order, delivered to me by hand supposedly by an outsider hired by Ms. Alva, I could see all the members of the caucus – (i) Mr. M.K.Razdan, (ii) Ms. Padma Alva, (iii) Mr. Rakesh Hari Pathak and (iv) Mr. M.S.Yadav – looking at me, smiling from a comfortable distance.

As per the ex-parte ad-interim injunction granted to PTI by the Delhi High Court, neither I nor my union could hold demonstration or blockade which might directly or indirectly effect free ingress and egress to the PTI Building premises. We were also restrained from demonstrating within the radius of 50 meters from the main gate of the PTI Building.

What was there in this order? Who wanted to demonstrate? Who was organizing a blockade? Who was trying to affect entry or exit of anyone? Who was going to demonstrate near PTI’s main gate? All cooked story to influence the court.

I quietly took my seat.

But they were well-positioned … standing … and smiling ghostly!

Soon, Mr. Razdan’s bulldog Md. Shakeel Ahmad came closer to me to discuss a story.

Actually, he wanted to See Me, Read Me.

I could see his master … Mr. Razdan was angling from behind.

Both this master and his pet were Standing Tall.

I had often seen men standing tall… in village fairs… entertaining people walking all around with big pink pajamas, on bamboo sticks. But Here, these two looked dangerous.

They were not entertaining me… they were entertaining themselves…

I looked at them… their faces were bold… what great sadistic pleasure were they drawing… standing tall.

O God! They were laughing at me. I was sinking. I was drying. I was crying. It was another sad day in my life. Worse – I could not share my feelings with anyone. I was on duty.

And from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. I did my duty. Duty was first. Everything secondary.

On way back home… on Delhi roads… I felt defeated… without offering a fight… completely defenseless… vulnerable. My innocence was attacked.

Their success seemed final, and my failure(!) fatal. The caucus had struck.

That night I did not dream.

Next day … it appeared as if – suddenly – I was surrounded by people who had four feet. Mr. Razdan was joyous. He was operating. I was called by Assistant General Manager Mr. S.D.Narayan.

“So, did you get to see the court order?” he asked smilingly.

There was calm in his chamber.

But Mr. Narayan was restless. “What would you do now?”

Now, I was smiling, too.

“Okay. We’ll go to Press Club. We’ll talk.” His nerves were unbundling.

We came out. Things were already planned. Office vehicle was waiting downstairs. On duty… I was taken to the club and told to compromise.

“Neeraj, you can’t fight with a system; and PTI is a huge system. You don’t know Razdan! … …. … I’m telling you like an elder brother… your senior… Pathak and Yadav run a parallel administration in PTI… Sometimes even Razdan finds it hard to move… and Padma… you know… she is toooo dangerous!”

I felt (really) wounded… counting my courage to continue. I only listened. He drank and talked. I listened.

Back in office, Md. Shakeel Ahmad also had a word of caution: “Just Don’t Do What People Provoke You To Do.”

“Just mind your actions and things will be alright.”

May be he was trained to advise me thus. May be he was sympathetic. May be he too had no choice. May be he was there to crush me. … I don’t know.

But I felt poisoned. People like Mr. Narayan, Md. Ahmad… subordinates like them create bosses like Razdan. If you remove the image of God from your house and put the poster of a person like Mr. Razdan on your wall, he is bound to feel Godly. This was the case with Mr. Razdan. He was being worshipped by persons like Mr. Narayan and Md. Ahmad. False people. False God.

I was beginning to wonder… Mr. Razdan did not want me to play a positive and constructive role in taking up the genuine grievances of the PTI people with him, in a peaceful manner.

Though I had never consciously or otherwise done any act which might have harmed the interest of PTI, yet those at the helms felt their own personal interests were threatened.

PTI Directors, who were all leaders of the society in the respective spheres of their activity and being extremely busy in their own affairs, were not looking after the day to day affairs of the organization and powers in this regard had thus been delegated to Mr. Razdan.

Thus … when I approached the Directors detailing the ‘fear psychosis’ prevailing in PTI under Razdan’s regime, and sought appointment, one of them – Mr. C.R.Irani – shot back: “…the General Manager (Mr. Razdan) … has the total confidence of the Board.”

Here’s his letter dated April 4, 2002 to my union president Vinod Kumar:

With money in your pocket you are wise, you are handsome, and you sing well too. This Jewish proverb seemed in line with the caucus. Should I have …then… run away… thinking it to be the best alternative?

… Razdan-Yadav never felt ashamed. Their caucus instead shared their joy. In the process, they doubled their sins. I felt so.

Could they have tamed our values! Could they have ruled our minds! Could they have run over us, mercilessly!

I tried.

I made attempts… to learn to live together with all, with everybody.

But the caucus appeared single-minded to perish together as fools. I could not help; I had to fine-tune my compass to the blowing winds.

I admit … I failed to end the distrust, doubt and resentment in minds of the PTI people towards their management. But at the same time, I say with authority that the management’s policies weren’t transparent too. No one was ready to understand us… We employees felt like orphans.

The General Manager Mr. M.K.Razdan and his deputy Ms. Padma Alva would always conspire with their puppets Mr. M.S.Yadav and Mr. Rakesh Hari Pathak in conceding illegal and unreasonable demands of their puppets.

They were not at all concerned about our legal and reasonable demands.

And where were the Directors? They seemed to be fanning the animal instinct of the caucus… enjoying power (sic). They too resisted changes we thought were apparent.

Many employees thus started wearing badges on duty. This too was resisted violently by the goons of Razdan-Yadav caucus.

Mr. Yadav then came up with the most shameful idea to make a demand that only he could have made. He made his federation president John Gonzalves party to it. Here is what they demanded from the management: “…to take suitable action” against 12 employees, including me, “for indulging into anti-organization activities.”

And, meanwhile, Mr. Razdan and Ms. Alva, acting in league with their puppets, connived yet again to approach the Delhi High Court to obtain two more orders in their favor:

(1) Order dated 12.11.2002 to restrain us from holding dharna/blockage/demonstration at offices of ‘director’ as also residences of ‘senior executives’; &

(2) Order dated 22.1.2003 to prohibit us from entering the neighborhood of the residences of Mr. Razdan and Ms. Alva at Greater Kailash and Press Enclave, respectively.

Here are the two orders:

And when we started challenging Mr. Razdan / Ms Alva’s authority to file suits, petitions on behalf of PTI, a resolution was (got) passed by the PTI Board dated 17.6.2004.

I really did not expect the Directors to behave in such manner, despite we representing them on every occasion, approaching them, pleading…

Here is the copy of the resolution which was signed by the then PTI Chairman Mr. M.P.Veerendrakumar.

Armed with the above, Mr. Razdan, who had by then become Chief Executive Officer of the company, swung into action, passing the baton to Lieutenant Ms. Alva.

And he authorized her in this manner:

Not satisfied, they thought there was something more required and hence Mr. Razdan empowered his deputy with yet another certificate.

Here it is:

All this while Ms. Alva kept on filing complaints after complaints… one after another… – and all knowingly false and frivolous – against me and my people, to silence me, to silence my union, to silence any voice.

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Spate of Complaints

All along, multiplying their sins, members of the Razdan-Yadav caucus conspired, connived, schemed, plotted, hatched and cooked cases-after-cases – criminal, civil, labor, tortuous – against me and those selected PTI people who otherwise, and according to them, posed a challenge to their great evil designs.

And the one who would lead the complaint promotions was none other than Mr. Razdan’s deputy Ms. Padma Alva. O God! She’d think the unthinkable… and then think over them again… and again… then improve… and then will put us in circuitous vicious cycles.

She was assisted in this vexatious campaign by her most-trusted czar-like walker Mr. H.S.Bawa, Senior Manager Security & Building, who would hob-nob with police officials, particularly of the nearby Parliament Street Police Station under whose jurisdiction PTI falls. Mr. Bawa, a real German Shepherd, would thus always have one leg at a New Delhi police station.

So fed up with their complaints were the police officials that one of them – a Station Officer – told me during those Complain Olympic Days: “While we have a tray here for keeping the complaints of the people for following up, we have no option but to keep this separate drum for love letters from your PTI”.

And … seriously … you won’t find a single pillar in Delhi Police Stations which Mr. Bawa has not scent marked, lifting one of his legs. The tall bulky hairy elsassisch urinated everywhere… at every post.

The duty of the police is chiefly to maintain law and order, to protect dharma. But Razdan-Yadav caucus penetrated the system… visiting, meeting, friending, influencing, pressurizing and threatening the police officials to lodge cases against me and the innocents. They would approach the Indian Ministers… Home Minister… Deputy Prime Minister… Prime Minister… Bring some of them even to their chambers… homes… and, through them, would get criminal cases registered against us. Can you believe these!

The motive of each of their complaint would be to terrorize us, threaten us, blacklist us, defame us, malign us and… among others… to finish us.

And the complaints would always be silent about seeking justice (for any one)… rather… they were vocal about awarding us punishments… as if we were hardcore criminals… and they law abiding citizens!!!

Some very iniquitous people were after us, evil and corrupt by nature. And Power… Chair… Money… Wild Dreams had made them even more evil and more corrupt.

They thought they were Gods.

But, in reality… in certainty, they were The evil-doers, frauds, criminals… and The Mafia.

O God… only if they could have been monitored by You, only if they could have been disciplined by You to observe Your sacred law, by fear of punishment! In the stern words of Manu (to quote from master writer A.L.Basham’s ‘The Wonder That Was India’):

“If the King did not inflict punishment

Untiringly on evil-doers

The stronger would roast the weaker,

Like fish upon a spit. …

“The whole world is controlled by punishment,

For a guiltless man is hard to find. …

“Where dark and red-eyed Punishment

Walks the land, destroying sinners,

The people are not harassed,

If he who inflicts it is discerning.”

Ms. Padma Alva was personally related to influential Congress leader Ms. Margret Alva which connection she would always beat-and-boast around and use it to our disadvantage… every-which-where… at the offices of the Delhi Chief Minister, Delhi Labor Minister…

Once Ms. Margret Alva, though being herself a political person, visited PTI and gave a statement that there should not be any political intervention in PTI. Huh! Laughable.

As I write my diary, I am so worried about the system we live in… this Congress leader became a state governor… of Uttaranchal. I will discuss in detail later in this diary how this connection was used to illegally and unjustifiably get our union registration cancelled by the trade union authorities in the government’s labor department. Moreover, this political connection of Razdan-Yadav caucus was just a tip of the iceberg. You will see many such clandestine sealed kindred ties as the pages of this diary unfold.

No wonder, thus, we found ourselves cornered… feeling hopeless… totally helpless and living skeletons. We were unable to protect … We were unable to protest.

And whenever we tried to raise our voice… whenever we tried to highlight the injustice being meted to us… we were bundled, pushed in police lorries, vans and buses… arrested… for we were not to be treated as free citizens of a free country… we were such journalists and non-journalist employees of PTI who sang different songs than what Razdan-Yadav caucus wanted us to.

This caucus wanted to see tears in our eyes, its members wanted to kill us.

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What’s In A Complaint

That time, I had known enemies. This was dangerous.

I also had false colleagues. That was worse.

And before my enemies and the such false colleagues, I was made to sit on a bonnet, defenseless, each time a new complaint was filed against me with all artistically crafted imaginative accusations.

Sometimes it appeared as if the government and the police existed for the robbers of PTI, only.

Even worse, the Directors would not see that the number of industrial disputes in the company was rising drastically.

All this while, Razdan-Yadav caucus was propping up its idiot class: giving promotions to unmerited, increments to undeserving, favorable postings to work-shirkers and cartons of wine to all assholes.

In return, the dog-tongued beams were required to hold up the roof and support the caucus with their lies.

Almost everyday, the caucus would aim to kill many birds with one new stone: A complaint would be filed with the police; then on the basis of the same complaint a contempt petition would be moved in the High Court and also a show cause notice would be issued to innocent employees on the same trumped-up charges. How do you face that?

Gone were the days when the news agency remained ahead in reporting the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi or the killing of ex-premier Rajiv Gandhi.

Its network was made a sheep by the Razdan-Yadav caucus to work off beam. Like, the then news-chasing Bureau Chief Mr. Sujeet Chatterjee could, anytime, be found shouting at some top guns on PTI telephones as to why I was still roaming free and not being arrested.

Mr. Sujeet, I had always known you for your hot pursuits even when you faulted and wrongly reported that President’s Rule had been imposed in Bihar, or when you ran shouting ‘PTI’, ‘PTI’, ‘PTI’ on the tarmac when terrorists were being escorted by Indian External Affairs Minister Mr. Jaswant Singh to Kandahar to end the hostage crisis, or when you switched one late evening from News Reporting to News Desk to ask one of the ladies: “Can we go for a long drive?” But what the shit you did on some crazy instructions to get us killed. I am aware of your every visit to the police headquarters and the Home Ministry. What journalism this?

As a result, PTI services – English News Service, Hindi (Bhasha), Photo Service, Economic Service, Science Service, News Scan, Stock Scan, PTI TV, Data India, PTI Feature, PTI Mag, PTI Graphics and Asia Pulse – suffered.

The caucus was for grabs. It would not allow transparency. It was panicky. It wanted to finish us… even if the company was finished in the process… it was drawing (or looting) money and resources from PTI to fight its very own (genuine) people… and… on the other hand… our money was coming from sweat and blood.

But we were not deterred. We were pregnant with hope… But the caucus had programmed its members too. And they were out to cut our bellies with sharp-edged weapons. They carried daggers, weapons… looking for slightest opportunity to stab us.

They even hired killers. There is one gentleman Mr. Sanjay Kumar working in the computer operating section of PTI at its Delhi office situated at 4, Parliament House. Ask him to show his legs. He won’t. He received bullets that were meant for me.

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The Accusations

PTI claimed it commanded astonishing 90 per cent share of news agency quotes in a wide spectrum of newspapers spread across India.

It claimed its English News Service churned out on an average 200,000 words per day.

But as many words, it was also churning out in different police stations and courts of law. I have one room full of legal documents that have been passed over to me by this news agency’s counsels.

On one hand, it promised: “We bring the world to you“. On the other, it delivered miseries to its very own people. Both journalists and non-journalists were (just) to remain mute spectators, as members of the Razdan-Yadav caucus plundered. And I had reasons to believe that all the members of staff were their prisoners and the red PTI Building at 4, Parliament Street in New Delhi the Cellular Jail.

The conditions at PTI offices across the country were worse. And who… ever… ever… thought about the stringers, part-time reporters and photographers? A pathetic… very pathetic… lot still… third rate humans!

There wasn’t any environment to prosper, flourish, and grow. For example: PTI’s money spinning ‘News Scan’ service, which was (actually) meant to Break Stories in the homes and offices of high and mighty – at Prime Minister’s House, Cabinet Ministers’ Offices, Five Star Hotels, Airports, was managed by the journalists whom PTI considered donkeys.

I have always seen highly-talented scribes butchering their fingers on News Scan’s appalling keyboards and looking numb staring at its lifeless screens.

I thought each one of us was capable… able… equal. But PTI always kept everyone under pressure — those who looked innocent… appeared decent… spoke politely… and were most sincere had had to get bashing, almost daily… in front of juniors. But if you suited the scheme of things… and (always) managed to be in the good books of the racketeers, no one could touch you… even if you would run a story headlined “President, Vice-President & Cabinet Condole Kalam’s Death”, and then run (even) a lead with the same headline, knowing fully that (President Dr. A.P.J Abdul) Kalam is very much alive.

Who would not react to these! At least, I will.

I could see … resentment among the employees building up and I would be genuinely … seriously concerned over each and every development and as such… and almost daily… I would promise them that our determination, strength, unity and vitality would not allow the management to victimize us.

I would ask them to maintain cool as we had the responsibilities to show to the management that we will not relinquish our rights.

The sentiments of the workers, however, were always on top of my mind. And hence I had to act in the larger interest of the company and workers… and act judiciously and suitably.

Hence I gave sufficient time to Mr. M.K.Razdan and wrote to him, with a copy each to prominent people in the country, that:

But Mr. Razdan was determined to overlook the contribution of workers in the success of PTI. He, instead, started restricting PTI’s legitimate trade union from continuing its genuine activities.

Not only that, he quickly became busy in aiding the disgruntled few (from the team of his caucus) to form a management-friendly union. This act not only constituted an unfair labor practice but became a blot in the history of trade union movement, in PTI, to say the least.

Soon, I was disappointed to see that (even) some who professed their support and practice for democratic values and trade union movement, were also willing to turn a blind eye to what was happening around us and the abuse of those values.

Suddenly, I was thus faced with two main tasks: (1) Launching a decisive battle against Razdan-Yadav caucus which posed a grave threat to the workers’ unity; & (2) A sustained effort to foil attempts by the caucus to weaken and crush the trade union.

Thus, I approached the members of the staff with this circular:

And … the caucus responded with a series of…. a series of… totally false, atrocious, horrific, insulting, offensive, dangerous … mindless actions against me and active members of the trade union of PTI.

One of the complaints dated October 5, 2002, produced below, is self-explanatory. I had not heard, until then, that a management also functions like this:

… I was a crusader against the practice of lifting stories from newspapers, particularly from foreign newspapers and news agencies. And it was recurrently frustrating to find PTI paying its people posted in New York, Washington, London, Moscow, Beijing, Islamabad and Colombo for almost no journalistic works.

They would just lift stories… and claim by-lines… which would then be given. Why Mr.Razdan (then) continued with such journalists? Or were they Mr.Razdan’s Managers abroad? Were they busy doing Mr.Razdan’s personal works than reporting for PTI? I know this has always been a serious question no one has ever been able to discuss with any other heart.

To my unreserved shock and disillusionment, the situation has not improved even today.

Then… in most of the foreign countries… PTI either had retired persons or stringers or those who had quit the organization and settled there, temporarily or otherwise.

I raised this issue many a times in the editorial. But none was bothered. Why would they be!

PTI editors, in headquarter New Delhi, themselves, would be found improving the already transmitted copies from different parts of the country by chirping into stories of international news agencies filed from Indian datelines.

So unprofessional… so unethical… so un-journalistic.

The Chief News Editor Md. Shakeel Ahmad was master at that.

However, now and then, notes would be issued on the points raised by me. But things would never improve. Below, I am reproducing two notes related to my such anguish, issued by PTI Editor Mr. V.S.Chandrasekar on 29.11.2001 and 2.8.2002:

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Most surprisingly, in London, Mr.Razdan always kept two persons – one a journalist and other a non-journalist.

Had it been a normal course that there would be a journalist and a non-journalist combination at each PTI office abroad, it would have been fine. Very fine.

But it was not to be.

Then why in London only! Tell me, Mr.Razdan.

And moreover, why the non-journalist staff posted in London – Mr.Rafiq Ahmad – has never been transferred back to India? I believe, he is there for over 15 years now. Or over 20 years?

Which media organization in the world has any of its staff member stationed in another country for such… such… long years?

What Mr.Rafiq Ahmad is doing for you in London, Mr.Razdan?

I would ask such questions in union meetings in the basement of the PTI Building. And … each time I would roar, I would be seen with vengeance.

A radical overhaul of foreign postings was thus needed. But Razdan-Yadav caucus would never allow that.

Certainly, then, there was something fishy about the foreign assignments, I can conclude today.

Even in the matter of sponsored foreign trips, only the blue-eyed were chosen, some frequently.

One of my seniors Mr.Anirudh did raise this issue. But then he was sent to cover a dog show somewhere in Punjab (not the one in Pakistan).

And when Virgin Airlines launched its operations from India, PTI did not send any of its journalists to cover the event on their request. It rather chose its Regional Manager Ms. Padma Alva to board the sponsored Virgin flight to London and ‘report’.

People come and go. Managements come and go. Unions come and go. But the situation in PTI was peculiar. … Razdan-Yadav caucus had a feeling that PTI was theirs. … They can loot it. … They can shoot it.

What I would do then?

My popular voice was set to be crushed. Afraid of my determined bonafide efforts, the caucus started using its four pronged weapon – Sama, Dama, Danda and Bheda (Win Over, Purchase, Punish and Divide).

The caucus started showing force, intimidation, coercion and dictatorial tactics to establish a Razdan Raj.

… Amidst this, on 29.4.2007, Press Trust of India itself released a news item wherein a categorical mention had been made that the list of allotees of plots in Indian capital Delhi’s neighboring city Noida, made by then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav misusing his discretionary powers, included seven persons connected with media including four Hindi dailies and PTI.

It was a very serious matter. PTI as a media organization is required to safeguard the interest of the public and maintain high standards of conduct and expose corruption at all levels.

But it was shocking that some persons had misused their status as staff members of PTI by taking undue and unjustified favors from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

We had been told that in the past, a PTI editor Dr. Vedpratap Vaidik had to resign following (mere) allegations of receiving undue and unjustified favors from none other than Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav only and disciplinary action had been taken against a staff member Mr. Rajeev Bhaskar in Jalandhar for allegedly getting an undue flat allotted in his name and receiving undue favour from a mayor.

In view of these, PTI management was expected to take strong and stern disciplinary and other appropriate action against the delinquent staff members who, as per the news item released by PTI itself, had misused their employment in PTI for currying undue favors from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

Such acts on the part of PTI staff were not only immoral and against the reputation of PTI but also illegal. It tarnished the image of PTI which is a non profit making public trust. Such activity of few individuals also brought down the image of the other media houses and the well-known jurists and public figures that are the members of the PTI Board of Directors.

But I was not surprised by the inaction of PTI management over this issue as I could clearly see members of the Razdan-Yadav caucus being part of this Noida loot.

Immediately before this loot, perhaps the CEO of Noida had been called to PTI Building at 4 Parliament Street, New Delhi, and treated in the ‘Razdan Chambers’. [And ... maybe ... Noida-based reputed Institute / University Amity's top functionary was also called to the Chambers for a deal to accommodate the children / relatives of caucus members at the Amity University.]

Interistingly enough, one of the alleged beneficiaries of the Noida plot scam was the authority of PTI who, in the capacity of the northern India administrative incharge, had served the show cause notice to Mr. Rajeev Bhaskar (of Jalandhar). And while it was alleged against Dr. Vaidik that he had received a sum of ten lakh rupees from the then Mulayam Singh government of Uttar Pradesh on the name of his NGO, in the Noida case … this time … PTI staff of senior editor ranks received plots worth crores in their own name and their wives and other relatives name. In some of the cases, they received more than one plot, which showed their level of complicity with the corrupt politicians and the bureaucrats.

The situation thus required strong and stern disciplinary and other appropriate action against the delinquent staff members who, as per the news item released by PTI itself, misused their employment in PTI for currying undue favors from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

The action in this regard should have been quick and exemplary so that in future also no one could dare to compromise with the credibility of PTI and its reputation, yet these senior staffers were (instead) promoted over everyone. Since all these staffers were working in the Delhi Head Office directly under the head of the organization, it was expected that the CEO Mr. M.K.Razdan himself must have been aware of their conduct and work in the organization.

Actions in this matter, as such, would not only have cleared the name of PTI but also the media in general, many members of which in recent past have been blamed as working as ‘dalals’ in political circles. But since no action was taken in the matter, it was clear that the PTI’s top management was also an interested party in the matter.

… Despite all such odds and during every crisis, I always played a positive and constructive role in taking up the genuine grievances of the journalists and the non-journalist staff with the management, in a peaceful manner.

I never – consciously or otherwise – did any act which may have harmed the interest of PTI. But this was not synonymous with the interests of the caucus members holding top posts in the management and acting in their own personal interest instead of the best interest of the organization.

The entrustment of the day-to-day functioning of the organization, by the Board of Directors to Mr. M.K.Razdan and by him to his deuputy Ms. Padma Alva, imposed a responsibility upon these officials to act in a fair, proper and a reasonable manner, solely for the benefit of PTI and not for their personal or other vested interests.

But … unfortunately, these officials did not fulfill the confidence reposed in them by the Board.

Instead of working for the best interest of the organization, they converted PTI into their own personal fiefdom and irrespective of the interest of the employees at large, they acted as per their own personal whims and fancies, in arbitrary and discriminatory manner.

Rather than acting without fear or favor, they rewarded their favorites and victimized those who were sincerely and deligently performing their duties without cosing up to them.

These officials, with a view to keep the PTI Board members in dark about their misdeeds, never allowed any interaction between the office bearers of the union and the Directors and instead they fed misinformation to the Board members that my union was a rogue and rump union having no support amongst the staff and that the office bearers of my union were involved in various violent, disorderly and other illegal activities.

As a matter of fact, till the time the office bearers of the union were mere stooges of these officials, there was no problem. But as soon as the favorites of these officials lost the January 2002 elections to the office bearers of the union and those members of the staff who were genuinely interested in welfare got elected, these officials could not stomach this development and fearing that the new office bearers would raise genuine demands and would protest against their arbitrary and discriminatory actions of giving benefits to their favorites, they encouraged and motivated the losers to breakaway from the union and form another trade union.

That accordingly, another union by the name of ‘PTI Workers Union’ was formed in Delhi and even before it could get itself registered, these officials promptly recognized this puppet union and since then various acts were done by these officials to show partiality or granting favor to their puppet PTI Workers Union, of which some glaring instances were that in the year 2003, the PTI Workers Union sought the status of protected workmen for 100 workmen, whereas under the Industrial Disputes Act and the Rules, the maximum number of protected workmen could be only five.

However, Ms. Padma Alva promptly granted recognition of protected workmen to all the 100 people. This was done obviously in view to encourage the members of the staff to become members of the puppet union.

It was only when I pointed this gross illegality and partiality to the attention of the labor authorities that the recognition of 100 protected workmen was withdrawn.

Similarly, when a faction of the alleged office bearers of the PTI Federation wrote letters to the company for taking action against me and other office bearers of my union, these officials immediately complied with the such request and issued memos, charge sheets or transfer letters to the such office bearers.

This was done so blatantly that the Bombay High Court in the case of Press Trust of India Ltd. & Anr. Versus Press Trust of India Employees Union (Western India) & Anr., made adverse comments against the PTI management for acting against a member of the staff Mr. S.P.Iyer at the instance of the rival fraud Federation led by caucus member Mr. M. S. Yadav.

That there had been many other instances of blatant favoritism of the puppet ‘PTI Workers Union’ and victimisation of the office bearers and activists of my union.

And Mr. Razdan and Ms. Alva also involved PTI in various diverse litigations against the office bearers and activists of my union, at considerable cost and lakhs of rupees of the news agency were spent on unnecessary and frivolous litigations, which could have been easily avoided if these officials had been prepared to show consideration and sympathetic attitude to the genuine demands of the workmen, raised by my union.

Two blatant favoritism shown by these officials to the members of their caucus and their puppet union members need special mention here:

1. A female journalist was used by these officials to make a complaint of sexual harassment against another journalist Mr. Indukant Dixit, a young fiery trade unionist … and even though the charges were not duly proved in a farcical enquiry held at the instance of these officials, Mr. Dixit was defamed and victimized by holding the charges proved against him and transferring him to Jammu with the sole malafide objective of preventing him from taking part in bonafide trade union activities in Delhi. On the other hand, the female journalist was rewarded at the instance of these officials.

That since she had made allegation of sexual harassment against Mr. Indukant Dixit, who had then recently married, Mr. Dixit filed civil and criminal defamation proceedings against the female journalist and the courts summoned her to face the trial.

That – very obviously – the civil and criminal proceedings were between Mr. Indukant Dixit and the female journalist who had made the allegation of sexual harassment against Mr. Dixit. Therefore, PTI was not expected to take sides in the such matter.

However, shockingly, Ms. Padma Alva, who was then the Regional Manager, vide a letter, recommended that PTI should finance the female journalist to meet the legal expenses of defending the case and Mr. M K Razdan promptly sanctioned payment of Rs.25,000 out of the company’s funds to be paid to the female journalist of which one instalment of Rs.12,500 was ordered to be released vide letter dated 30.11.2002. This clearly showed that these officials had set up the female journalist to make the false complaint against Mr. Indukant Dixit as otherwise the female journalist having made the allegation in her personal capacity, which gave rise to civil defamation suit against her by Mr. Indukant Dixit who also was an employee of PTI, the question of the company financing the female journalist to defend the case did not arise.

2. In another shocking incident of blatant favoritism being shown by these officials to their puppets against my union, I came across an E-mail from one Mr. Jayant Kumar Mehta, Advocate, sent to PTI on 21.11.2006 at 6.16 p.m., wherein the advocate on behalf of my rival ‘PTI Workers Union’, [which had filed a writ petition before the Delhi High Court against my union and PTI to challenge an order passed by the labor authorities] had sent a draft of the appeal which was proposed to be filed by the ‘PTI Workers Union’, requesting Ms. Padma Alva to provide input from her office to the few blanks in the proposed appeal (LPA).

It was clear from the such mail to Ms. Padma Alva that these officials had sponsored the writ petition of the ‘PTI Workers Union’ against my union as well as PTI and it was she who was actually sponsoring the filing of appeal (LPA) by ‘PTI Workers Union’.

And all these … at the expense of PTI, in favor of some puppets and against my union. This was not expected from a reputed organization like PTI, having eminent persons as its Board members.

On this point alone, both Mr. M.K.Razdan and Ms. Padma Alva should have either resigned or the PTI Board should have immediately withdrawn powers given to them.

---

Jantar Mantar

I would hear and see PTI journalists and staff being subjected to unprecedented torture by Mr. M. K. Razdan.

The chief executive officer, with the help of his aides, had actually unleashed a reign of terror in the news agency and there was fear … and panic … in the institution … so much so that no one was ready to open his mouth as if we were in Hitler’s Germany.

Staff members committed suicide, died untimely death, suffered strokes, their families were ruined and those who dared to stand up and speak were silenced.

…And having converted the entire establishment as his fiefdom, Mr. Razdan was exploiting journalists and staff members as bonded laborers in the absence of any rules, regulations, guidelines, constitution or Standing Orders in PTI even after over 50 years of its formation.

As a result, over 700 journalists had quit the Press Trust of India since Mr. Razdan became the executive head of the organization.

… The journalists and other staff members in the Press Trust of India were rendered helpless, demoralized, frustrated and depressed and were surrendering in large numbers to the dictates of Mr. Razdan.

A clever-shrewed Razdan had deputed his puppets to cover important ministries and public organizations to shield his illegal activities. He had also deputed PTI staffers to even run his private business as was the case with Mr. Rafiq Ahmed, who was not even a journalist but was stationed in London for over 15 years from where he looked after Mr. Razdan’s private business.

The quality of news and service of PTI, therefore, was also deteriorating day by day.

By his self-claimed exalted status, Mr. Razdan had influenced the entire administration and government functionaries to such an extent that the genuine complaints of the journalists and staffers were not entertained.

Police had succumbed to him and were registering false cases against the actual victims.

Well, if his rules were based on inequality and injustice, then why shouldn’t everyone break the rules, I would ask. But how could I break rules? How could I bend laws? How could I take on a mafia? How could I challenge his bucolic caucus? And while I would debate and discuss this, Mr. Razdan would perpetrate a regime of repression and falsehood against the members of my union; also to gag them from protesting his illegal and malafide actions.

Mr. Razdan not only spread falsehood against anyone who dared to file any complaint against him, he even targeted the complainant by way of character assassination and by leveling allegations of false misconduct.

Mr. Razdan would never tell anyone … still many Board of Directors knew that … all staff members in Delhi were members of my PTI Employees Union, Delhi and that Mr. Razdan had utilized his influence on the previous defeated office bearers to break my union and form a separate union by the name of PTI Workers Union … and that … all support was given to this new puppet union … and that … at the asking of this union and its Federation, the office bearers of my union were being grossly victimized by Mr. Razdan by dismissing / transferring them to far off places and by getting false police complaints lodged against them.

And surprisingly, both the Union Government as well as the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi were shying away from taking any action against Mr. Razdan … despite the fact that his illegal acts were being looked down by courts. An arrogant Razdan would also defy the suggestions as well as directions and orders issued by competent authorities from time to time.

Mastering the art of media management, Mr. Razdan had actually succeeded in influencing senior functionaries of the country … each and sundry and hosting lunch for them frequently. He would also display a surprising degree of recalcitrance by flaunting with impunity the laws of the land and by overlooking any representation from anybody.

PTI was established as a cooperative venture and major newspapers, whose proprietors constitute PTI Board of Directors, held its shares. But it was unfortunate that the Board of Directors, before whom I submitted several representations, was merely toeing the line of Mr. Razdan, who had his own axe to grind and was deliberately misguiding the PTI Board.

I had to take bold steps towards my commitments, for what I stood. Games may be for Boys… but I stood as a Man and not a Toy.

My hope, but, was shaking.

The strength of mind, though, was strong.

Journalists and staff members needed to be protected, at any cost… from the dictatorship and an oppressive Razdan… so that (once again) peaceful and harmonious relations could be restored in PTI and its journalists and staff members could devote all their energies to the fulfillment of the objects for which PTI was established.

I thus geared myself to take on Mr. Razdan – a man of words and not of deeds, who, in fact, was a garden full of weeds.

… I was elected by majority vote in a secret ballot as the General Secretary of The PTI Employees’ Union, Delhi, then the only trade union in PTI Delhi office, in the election held on 19.1.2002. And even before that, ever since I started taking active part in trade union meetings… talking about rights and duties of journalists and non-journalist employees, the ruling caucus had started hatching conspiracies to get rid of me. They did not want me.

But PTI people loved me, trusted me. They believed me. They would tell me what I meant to them.

Having reposed faith in me, they no longer feared the walls of PTI… they appeared willing to throw away their chains.

They needed to be liberated.

At every union meeting and during interactions with the members of the management, I would talk about the reasonable demands of the PTI people. I also raised a formal charter of demands with PTI. But for the caucus… and as such, my union was forced to agitate.

There were people for whom it was rebirth of the union. There were complicated persons too… some would even double-cross. At times, I would think if PTI’s convoluted situation deserved me, at all! And I would not be amused.

I would confide in my friends that there were too many vested interests. It was a wrong company for me… the caucus was very influential and powerful… a majority acted like slaves… some were always ready to act beastly… many were not even prepared to pray.

The caucus in PTI was concerned only about power, chair, post and money, for which it was doing everything, anything. They were perpetrating a regime of repression and falsehood.

At every instance, I would find that the caucus followed only one direction with predictable certainty – threatening and coercing journalists and breaking up membership of their trade union in PTI. Illegal actions against poor non-journalist staff were plenty.

Instances of indecent, highhanded and outrageous behavior of Mr.Razdan and Ms. Padma Alva, particularly with members of my union, were common.

PTI people were not bonded laborers. Nor were they sent to a prison by any court order. They were also no less competent than any of their bosses or colleagues.

Also, Two Things Had Certainly Gone Missing In PTI – Respect & Regard For Each Other.

And trust was something alien.

And none of the members of the caucus would behave with members of the staff in a socially acceptable manner.

On my part, I had declared that no instance of anti-labor practices, discrimination, harassment, victimization, insult shall be tolerated and once brought to my notice, it shall be dealt with due force of law… I was answerable to no one except to the PTI people.

I knew that without my meaningful actions, the chariot of unionism would not move… I knew if the West had moved where journalists led comfortable lives, it was in part due to agitations over the years.

I still wanted to give peace a chance… only if…

Yes, only if…

Mr. Razdan would listen.

But why would he? Wasn’t he the ring leader of the caucus dictating PTI?

And this caucus had not been created to build temples, for sure.

Also, the caucus had made its own rules… rules based on inequality and injustice.

Clearly, my PTI was at risk… my company was at risk… there were Mohammad Ghoris and Mohammad Ghazanis abound.

Inside PTI, Mahatma Gandhi was not the Father of the Nation. Mr.M.K.Razdan was.

But for me, the Mahatma meant so many things. His ideals… his teachings… his words… his actions… his life… would guide my every step. May be this was because I was born exactly 100 years after this saint came on this earth.

And O Mahatma… it was such a situation in PTI that none could ask for anything.

One had no option but to work like slaves. Just work. Just be slaves.

True. Razdan-Yadav would find it hilarious at any demand… kind of like beggars complaining about scarcity of champagne…!!!

One would do Bill Clinton and you had to keep quiet.

One would do Tiger Woods and you had to keep quiet.

One would do Adolf Hitler and you had to keep quiet.

One would do Saddam Hussain and you had to keep quiet.

One would outrage your modesty and you had to keep quiet.

One would tear off your caste and you had to keep quiet.

One would rape your union and you had to keep quiet.

True. We were at a critical turning point in PTI. And I had to make a difference.

I would tell myself: “Hey Neeraj, on some days there won’t be a song in your heart… Sing anyway!”

And I would then also reply to myself: “… Don’t you know… if I start singing, I won’t stop. It’s difficult to control me when I am on a song.”

As said, I knew there were dubious people in my camp too. Faithless, hesitant, doubtful watchers. For them and for those who were double-crossing, everything was a drama… a drama that would never end…

… They would smile in front of your face but spit on your name.

These unsure, watchful people would mollycoddle me to stand… to stand before a towering crocodile.

For a moment, I was on edge… the stakes were high.

The decision my union was inching towards would be painful, I knew.

But it started becoming clearer that the union’s decision to launch an agitation at Jantar Mantar would be the only option left that would give people sound sleep at night.

… I was, though, still determined to wean Mr. Razdan and Co. from error … with patience and sympathy.

I was firm … I would melt every stone.

I wanted to eliminate antagonism without harming the antagonists.

But the stakes were really high.

My union represented the interests of the employees of PTI and it was time, during the course of such representation, that the union took recourse to available means of agitation, fasts unto death, picketing etc.

But PTI had already obtained an injunction from the Delhi High Court restraining my union from taking recourse to any agitation / dharna within 50 meters from the main gate of the PTI Building.

The area where PTI is located is very close to Parliament. In this area, prohibitory orders under section 144 Cr.P.C. are always in force. Hence, no agitation could be held in the public areas / roads adjacent to the premises of PTI.

As a consequence of the orders under section 144 Cr.P.C. and the court injunction issued at the behest of PTI, we had been prevented from holding any peaceful demonstration inside the PTI Building.

The serious consequences of these contemporaneous orders were that the rights of my union to hold any peaceful demonstration had been adversely affected.

Thus, some very serious questions of law were arising in my mind:

{1} Whether by way of a police order, our rights guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (b) of the Constitution of India be abridged?

{2} Whether our union be prohibited from holding peaceful demonstration in the open areas adjoining PTI more so when it is a private company?

{3} When a general order under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is invoked in and around Parliament House, can PTI employees be prohibited from holding peaceful demonstrations on the open lawn / garden located inside the property owned by PTI?

{4} What was the extent, scope and ambit of an order under section 144 Cr.P.C. on the rights of we employees to hold peaceful demonstration inside our private premises qua our demands against the PTI management?

Above all these concerns, I believed that any demonstration ought to be a visible manifestation of feelings.

It ought to be a communication of ideas to whom it was intended to be conveyed.

Yes, our demonstration would have always fallen within the freedoms guaranteed by Art. 19 (1) (a) and 19 (1) (b). Thus, I wanted that our demonstration should be on the face of PTI but not to disrupt the normal functioning of the office. I was never in favor of disrupting the normal functioning of my company.

Interestingly … though PTI had taken an injunction against our union, it was allowing its puppet union to hold demonstrations inside its premises during the course of the period when we were prevented from doing so. [See the two images of puppets demonstrating inside PTI premises.]

And do you know … what for these puppets led by Mr. Yadav, as seen in the picture here, would come together and demonstrate? Not for any demands, my friend … not to even protest any action of the management either. But to pressurize the administration to take action against members of my union … the dogs of war let loose for precise, senseless, mean purposes.

Bloody Bootlickers.

_____________________________________

Announcement

___________________

This being the second occasion when I was not able to make my diary entry this Sunday, the 23rd May, 2010.

I tried… even late night… to complete the Sunday posting but failed.

May be I need few days to feel the strength.

The present topic ‘Jantar Mantar’ is too emotional a thing for me… It changed the way I live… It changed the way I think… It changed the way I feel.

Hope you understand.

I’ll try to compensate your loss by making an entry as soon as I feel the urge.

Until then…