This weekend will decide the fate of the controversial general secretary of the Press Club of India Pushpendra Kulshreshta as the annual general election of the Press Club India will be held on Saturday October 18. Pushpendra is seeking election for the third term.
His style of functioning led to revolt by several members and office bearers including the President of the Club. Many of them had resigned. Transparency is a key word in the election this year which is dominated by the fierce door to door campaign. Participation of women in Press Club elections is not new, but this year campaign of some women candidates is very remarkable.
Vice President of the Club, Karuna Madan, is a serious contender for the post of the Secretary General. In The constitution of the PCI, post of the SG is the most important. Other woman candidate for the post of the SG is Seema Kiran, feature editor of Daily Veer Arjun. She is a former vice President of the Club. The fourth contender for the post is Javed Faridi.
There four candidates are for the post of the President and ten for two posts of Vice President and two for the post of Treasurer. Neelam Mahajan Singh is regarded a very formidable candidate for the post of President. For the post of vice presidents there are Savita Shrivastav and Aruna Singh and Lucy Chattopadhyay for the post of Treasurer.
Like previous election, Pushpendra is facing allegation of Pakistan connection. He represents Aaj TV of Pakistan, a private popular channel. Going by the dirty politics game, there are many stories doing round about Pushpendra. People of a country which his channel represents are bound to interact with him more, one of his friends Arvind Kumar Singh, Resident Editor of Hari Bhoomi says. Earlier Pushpendra was with BBC, Sahara and some other Indian companies, he points out.
Singh says that it is good that candidates were focusing more on door to door campaign as this would give them fair idea of the views of members and the reasons for lack of interest in the activities of the Press Club. About the charges of Karuna Madan of gender bias in the club, Singh says it is serious since it has been made by an office bearer.
He points out that the feeling of the neglect of women members had led to the formation of Indian Women Press Core more than a decade ago. He feels that there should be more activities to promote professional development of journalists, there should be representation of government media. Despite this, he says, in the last two years the active participation of members has increased.
However, Anil Tyagi, editor of Gfiles, India's first magazine on bureaucracy and governance , a senior member of the Club has very serious reservations about the Club. He says that in the absence of professional management, the Club has become a loss making institution and does not have any substantial activity besides food and drink serving.
He points out that the Club with a turnover of three crore has loss of Rs 55 lakh. Its staff of 120 is the real boss and not the committee. How journalists who cannot manage their salaries can manage a club with such a turn over, he asks.
Candidates are using e mails for the campaign. But SG candidate Karuna Madan got her views on Bhadas 4 media, a website devoted to media, particularly Hindi media. In this she talks about gender bias in the Press Club and assures that she would have ladies even behind the Bar of the Press Club.
On her blog Unfulfilled Karuna Madan says I request all my journalist friends to campaign for me as much as they can because those contesting for the post of Secretary General have either a godfather to back them or the godfathers themselves are contesting. I have none. And I am none. I may not know you so well but I want people like YOU to support me with all your might and genuine blessings so that I can prove this godfather theory wrong. Please campaign for me most honestly and aggressively and make me win so that we all can fight the destructive and tyrannical forces active for long in the Club. When I win, I promise to take you along and we all will work as a team for the betterment of the Club and our journalist community.
She points out that her views can be read on Bhadas and India News Magazine. She says that she was not allowed to do any constructive work while working as vice president. I had to fight for many issues but I did not resign as they would have given more freedom to Pushpendra, she says. My fight against the autocractic and destructive forces of the club would continue, she says.
Another candidate Seema Kiran has this five point agenda as SG
Bringing Club back on rails and making it as a one of the best clubs in the country for bonafide journalist.
Introducing schemes like Insurance and Journalist's welfare funds (already existing in Some Press Clubs of the country)
Encouraging family culture.
Encouraging, intellectual and professional activities; seminars; symposiums and workshops relating to journalist and journalism.
Facilitating opportunities for great interaction among bonafide journalist members of the PCI and other club of the country.
Presidential candidate Neelam Mahajan Singh also talks about transparency She sends her appeal mail with a letter from a very senior member M L Kotru.
Yashwant Singh Editor of Bhadas4media strongly feels that there should some limit for office bearer to remain in office so that new faces play active role. The Club should be more than club and take up activities for the growth and development of journalists, he elaborates his views.
