#AskMilindDeora: Firstperson is back, tweet your questions for the young Congress leader to us

Newsrooms and newsmakers feed off each other. There’s no life for the one without the other. Yet, newsrooms — the hub of news production operations — live in their own world of computers and keyboards, and newsmakers in their own. The twain rarely meet. This physical separation is not just a logistical necessity, but a professional virtue. It is a tenet that ensures that news-writers are free from the influence and impact of events on the ground, unlike news reporters who are in the thick of things. [caption id=“attachment_4198333” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Congress leader Milind Deora. Image courtesy: PIB[/caption] But interpreting and analysing newsmakers from a distance, just from the headlines they make, has its own set of problems. The separation from events and their complete dependence on secondary and tertiary sources of information can make newsrooms susceptible to facile stereotyping, labelling and, hence, bias. That is perhaps why rules come with exceptions. The occasional rub with newsmakers can have the refreshing effect of broadening the newsroom’s perspective. Last time it was Prithviraj Chavan. This time we meet the young, suave and social media ace—40-year-old Milind Deora—who easily fits the bill to belong to the GenNext category of Congress leaders. Milind, the son of former Union minister, the late Murli Deora, has equipped himself with the political chops to help steer the Grand Old Party, along with peers like Sachin Pilot, Sushmita Dev and Gaurav Gogoi, led by Rahul Gandhi. Milind figured prominently  in Rahul’s trip to the University of California’s Berkeley campus in September this year, when he rubbed shoulders with the who’s who of Silicon Valley along with the Congress vice-president; it was evident how much the Congress’ future president values him. There may be many critics who might blame this Boston graduate in Business and Political Science as a scion of dynastic politics. True, the young Congress leader has walked in the footsteps of his father, but he has made a strong mark for himself. Having served as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Ministry of Shipping during the UPA 2 regime, the Congress leader possesses experience in governance apart from being a two-time Lok Sabha MP from South Mumbai. He lost in 2014 to Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant from the same seat. He may not be a lawmaker now but the former minister is quite vocal on social media, often airing his views on issues that matter, particularly those that concern his hometown Mumbai; his 1.47 million Twitter followers amplify his messages quite effectively. As Firstpost’s guest on Firstperson, Milind will take select questions - they can be on anything—economy, politics, business, information technology, Mumbai and anything you consider worthy. Keep them coming.