Tenzing Lamsang, a Bhutanese journalist who had made a name in India owing to his vociferous opposition to Narendra Modi, lamented how invites to ‘prestigious talk shops’ had suddenly stopped after he retweeted some ‘welcome’ messages on Twitter during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Bhutan.
2/2 Then PM Modi was making an unprecedented & 1st ever back to back state visit to Bhutan in 2019 August.
I as a Bhutanese citizen who believes in Bhutan-India friendship retweeted some welcome messages & etc on Modi’s visit.
Subsequently invitation to talk shop withdrawn ?.
— Tenzing Lamsang (@TenzingLamsang) September 10, 2019
Lamsang claims he did so due to his faith in the Indo-Bhutanese friendship. However, the retweets didn’t augur well with those who had until then appeared overeager to fraternize with him. In short, the doors to the Lutyens club were shut for him forever because of a few retweets.
From the manner in which Lamsang has been discarded by the Lutyens Darbaris, it does appear that being a Darbari is a full-time job. People are not allowed to fall out of character even for a moment. While those at the very top are allowed certain privileges and can appear ‘neutral’ on certain occasions in a bit to retain their credibility, those new to the scene and seeking to make a name for themselves must be careful at all times to not indulge in behaviour that might raise eyebrows.
The test of purity for entry into the Darbari club appears to be entirely dependent on the hatred that a journalist bears for Narendra Modi. If they deviate from approved behaviour even for a day, consequences can be harsh. Lamsang, on his part, appears to be rather distraught. It does appear that he regrets retweeting those ‘welcome’ tweets and if he were aware of the consequences, he wouldn’t have.
There might still be some hope for Lamsang. Perhaps if he massages the right feet, grovels when he needs to, waxes eloquence on the fascism Narendra Modi is wreaking in India, profusely apologizes and chastises himself in public for his conduct, the doors to the Lutyens Club will be thrown open to him again. Personal dignity is the first thing that needs to be sacrificed at the altar of the Darbar.
However, the Bhutanese journalist appears to have turned away from the Darbar for good. In a subsequent tweet, Lamsang asserted that it’s about basic human decency and an official invite shouldn’t have been sent if they were not sure. As it turns out, he was apparently invited even for a wedding.
Woh, tweets got some traction.
I think main issue apart from tolerance is also basic human decency.
Don’t send an official invite (including for a wedding) when not sure.
Also just because journo is from a small country you have no right to be behave rudely @journalism_talk
— Tenzing Lamsang (@TenzingLamsang) September 10, 2019
For all their sermons on tolerance, it appears the Lutyens Darbar cannot even tolerate even a few pro-Modi retweets made by upstarts. They demand total subservience and conformity. Anti-Modi hatred appears to be the test of purity for the Darbaris. Anyone who remotes deviates from the hallowed principle will be discarded without so much as a second thought. While criticism of the ‘right-wing’ is the means through which one could attract their attention, one has to prove it by opposing Narendra Modi 24/7.
