The real estate dealer

By pushing through its real estate agenda, Times of India has put its commercial interests ahead of journalistic values

“The Good Doctor”. That was the head of Times of India editorial dated 1-5-08, taking a dig at PM Manmohan Singh for having called on companies to “discourage conspicuous consumption and pay only moderate salaries to executives”.

The editorial, in Times of India’s inimitable fashion, takes on the PM’s attack on the corporate world by drawing attention to the opulent and extravagant ways in which he (Manmohan) and country’s president live in sprawling Race Course Road and Rashtrapati Bhavan respectively.

The paper says: “Few nations in the world can match Rashtrapathi Bhavan in terms of the vastness and magnificence of the housing accorded, rather conspicuously to its heads of state.”

It also draws the irony of criticizing the corporate world at a time the government has effected a pay hike to the country’s babus.

Quite a reasonable argument indeed as regards the opulent and royal ways in which the PM and president live; for, it is unbecoming of a country of thousands who go to bed empty stomach to waste money just to sustain the vestiges of British Raj which we are happy scorning day and night.

But Times of India’s real intention is revealed only at the end of the editorial as it exhorts Manmohan Singh to focus on the “conspicuous consumption” in central Delhi where the “best real estate” has been occupied by “sprawling ministerial bungalows” and other “government properties”.

The editorial says that Delhi has no dearth of space, but is still among the top 10 cities in terms of “expensive commercial property.”

And finally the paper doesn’t hide its real intentions as it says: “Imagine the impact of revenues if most of the properties owned by the government in Delhi and state capitals could be sold at their true commercial value.”

There you are! It’s all about real estate, honey. Real estate. That is the one word repeated in several areas in this edit piece.

See how the paper has made it so clear and loud. Straight talk. Isn’t it? The Times of India has no qualms in pushing through its real estate agenda through its editorial columns.

But, there shouldn’t be any room for surprise, given Times of India’’ interests in real estate business, with its parent company Bennet & Coleman running its own real estate firm.

Look at the way the paper has cornered in to a subject of its commercial interest by picking up an issue that has no direct link to it and blatantly putting ahead its profit motive above journalistic values.

So Times of India wants the “prime real estate” locations in Delhi to be sold out at the earliest. Are the powers that be in the country’s capital listening?