ASTHANA HAS A PIVOTAL ROLE TO PLAY
r.ishwar.dayal: Shri KML Asthana has unfortunately become a favorite subject for your cartoonist.
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An interesting side of these cartoons is that nobody comes forward to defend KMLA from Fedn side, not even ramanathan from the South who usually goes to the victims of your cartoon subjects with consoling words.
What I observe is that when it was LIC Pensioners Calicut, you never appeared to come out with cartoons against Asthana. But as Chronicle you have changed your editorial policy, especially after Asthana came to attack the Editor over phone saying what you write is “non-sense” as I remember to have seen in one of your old write-ups. It is true Asthana has many weaknesses. He has no knack to keep public relations. When one has a public mission, sober conducts must be a MUST.
He may have under-estimated your striking power. It is well known that he doesn’t keep good relations with AIRIEF leadership. After the Jain (?) era, it is not easy going for Asthana especially after the emergence of the Hyderbad faction of GNS Federation as separate entity with Shri Murty at the helm of affairs.
- All said, I have a feeling that the long fight Asthana had against LIC and the tremendous advantage he was able to bring about for the pensioners shouldn’t be forgotten. For thousands of pensioners, he is still a hero although Shri RB Kishore in his inimitable flattery style made him a Kurukshetra hero which perhaps played havoc and Shri Kishore’s flattery went into his head and if I may borrow your cartoonist’s words, that song has to be surgically removed as he is still suffering from the ‘hero’ status thrust upon him.
That is one side of the picture. On the other side, I wish you had changed your editorial policy to make Shri KMLA successfully complete his unfinished task. I am a person who believes he has a pivotal role to PLAY.