MES Mellava media coverage a must read

Yesterday when team AAB was there to cover the much hyped MES Mahamellava it was a pleasure to see a crowd of media person from all media’s print, TV and I guess internet only AAB (which was also the fastest). It was very difficult for me to gather news from the Internet, as not all sites are very user friendly where one can get news city wise.

It is fun to read same news covered by different persons for different media houses. It is said media has to be impartial but that cant be in Belgaum at least for sure. Kannada Papers will have a pro Kannada flavor and Marathi papers, a Marathi flavor. The English media, which are trying to make its presence felt by covering local events like local papers, are somewhat neutral.
To me news is news and whatever info one can get hand should be shared with no malice towards anyone. Hope AAB is doing this. T

The digital media also covered the event massively with presence of Suvarna, Uday, ETV, TV9, IBN Lokmat, Doordarshan etc.

A gist of the Mahamellava: As there are two factions in the MES the Marathi Manoos seems to be divided as in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena and MNS. All papers report it to be a damp squib. The turnout for the event was smaller as expected by all. However, there were complaints as well that people from rural areas were not allowed to travel in trucks etc and were sent back.

If you have read Bal Thakrey’s editorial in the Samna a couple of days back he said that Marathi Manoos has stabbed him. Is this is the same here as well. Will a MNS come up here as well?

This chapter will be kept alive by the MES as Black day (Rajostav) is approaching. After this all will cool down. Until then keep reading and thinking who is correct and who is wrong. Happy reading!

Here are some excerpts from various media houses: (there could be so many more but I could get my hand only on these, if you find more add it in the comments)

The Hindu:

http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/27/stories/2009102751580300.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/27/stories/2009102751560300.htm

A faction of MES did not participate and so one section of Marathi-speaking people was absent. In the area under dispute, MES wants circulars to be in Marathi. The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES)’s “melava” (gathering) turned out be a damp squib with much less than the projected number of Marathi-speaking people responding to its over a month-long campaign.

Though the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti’s ‘cultural event’ and protests by activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) passed off peacefully, miscreants pelted stones at Maharashtra state transport bus near Yamanapur, about 5 km from Belgaum city, forcing the authorities of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation to suspend its services to localities and villages dominated by Marathi-speaking people on Monday. High drama was witnessed at the circle when one of the activists climbed the traffic signal post threatening to commit suicide. However, the traffic police managed to bring him down safely.

Times of India: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubli/Two-activists-attempt-suicide/articleshow/5165818.cms
Protesting against the government for allowing the MES to hold Marathi convention, two activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) attempted suicide at Channama Circle here on Monday. The activists were part of a rally taken out against the government for giving permission to the convention. When the rally came near the circle, activist Basavaraj Kanthimatt climbed and sat atop a traffic signal. He raised slogans against the MES and the government and threatened to commit suicide.

Kannada Prabha: http://www.kannadaprabha.com/pdf/epaper.asp?pdfdate=10/27/2009

Kannadamma: http://www.kannadamma.net/?p=1810

Deccan Chronicle:

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/bengaluru/mes-ignores-diktat-state-alleges-atrocities-594

Taking the district administration for a ride, Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti managed to hold its Marathi convention in the name of a cultural programme in Belgaum on Monday. Most pro-Maharashtra leaders spoke about “the atrocities” against Marathi people in Karnataka at the programme. The district administration and the police had refused to permit the Marathi convention and had agreed to the cultural programme on condition that there would be no raking up of the boundary dispute. While the MES had agreed to the conditions, the pro-Maharashtra leaders present did not seem bound by them. Marathi leader Kishore Pawar urged the Maharashtra MLAs to stage a dharna in front of Parliament to demand the merger of Marathi-dominated areas of Karnataka with Maharashtra.

“The Centre and Maharashtra should do something to solve the boundary dispute,” he said.

Deccan Herald: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/32569/mes-convention-damp-squib.html

The Chalo Subhash Maidan convention organised by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) Kiran Thakur faction, at Subhash Ground in Tilakwadi, on Monday turned out to be a damp squib. As against the claim that over, 50,000 people would turn up, about 1,000 had gathered for the convention Virat Marathi Sanskruti Darshan (exhibition of giant Marathi culture).

Nadoj: http://nadoja.epapertoday.com/epaper/?yr=2009&mth=10&d=27

Tarun Bharat: