BEG TO DIFFER WITH VINOD MEHTA:

BEG TO DIFFER WITH VINOD MEHTA:: journos can be best friends too.

While as journos we might relish at Vinod Mehta's oneliner in interview to Mint that journalists and politicians cannot be good friends.... it might not be true in strict sense.

As a practicing scribe -- I can vouch for many friends who have helped me, and yes they r and have been journalists. Importantly they will continue to be journalists.. I need to go personal and name a few Thomas Kutty Abraham, Binu Alex, Anosh Malekar, Basant Rawat.... without them in 2002 my Ahmedabad sojourn for a highly demanding organisation PTI would have been disaster... 

I have been helped by many such friends.. R C Rajamani rehabilitated me back in mainstream... all these came selflessly ... 

Among netas too, we often hear of 'friendship' despite often they work at cross purposes. In Nagaland, friendship between hardcore regional Vamuzo and Congress veteran S C Jamir was legendary... 

Jamir once called Vamuzo "a dull fellow" in assembly and Vamuzao called him "habitual liar". both of them ended up laughing at each other. we know of friendship between Advani and Vajpyee. 

In 2001 when reports surfaced about Advani-Vajpayee differences, Vajpayee had called Advani's wife and said he wanted to come for lunch. Advani was immediately summoned home by his wife... What better instance can one give of friendship?

  

Few years back, Sushma was asked to react for some comments made by George Fernandes against Jaipal Reddy. Sushma was smart to counter: "George Fernandes and jaipal were friends once, they can again become friends and then they will not spare me".... Vajpayee-Narasimha Rao friendship too was more than mere politics perhaps

SO i don't buy the line: politicians and journalists should never be friends.

pls join the debate...