Modi government
Why is media so sceptical about next Gujarat government?
The poll results for the next Gujarat assembly will be declared within the next few days, but the media seems to be very eager to know the final outcome. Why is media doubtful whether Modi will win or lose? Why is it so curious? First of all, I appreciate the positive idea expressed for Modi government. It has been mentioned that the businessmen who have made huge investments in Gujarat during the Modi regime will be happy because there would be no roadblocks ahead. This simply means that if congress comes into power there are all chances of stagnation / roadblocks in this way.
It has been mentioned that the urban middle class would rave about him and worship his ideology and would forget about Hindutva—even if Modi focuses on development. This clearly means that Modi will never talk about Hindutva and focus only on development. It also means that the urban middle class votes for him only because of development and the rest of the reasons all are secondary.
Next, Gujarat would see a relaxation of its prohibition laws. I think this is a good move, everybody wants it and so does the investment community coming into the state. It would reduce corruption further. That is really what the people of this state want and look forward to.
It has also been mentioned that Modi rebels would try to find safe places or may turn to alternate occupations, as Modi would have proved a point that he is the greatest. This means the media agrees that Modi is the greatest.
There is the theory that if Congress comes into power it would come in disbelief and be a great surprise. It means nobody expects it to come into power as they have no declared leader suitable for the post of CM.
Then why was Modi targeted for the last five years? Why has the media promoted the opposition and smaller factions like Uma Bharati and Mayawati during this election? Why were the rebels highlighted so much? Why was hindutva concept blown out of proportion when Modi was always talking and working for development? Why was there an attempt to divide the mandate on the basis of caste? Why has the media supported an anti-prohibition move in the state?
It clearly appears that a large section of the media was against the development, growth and success of the Gujarat and Modi government. There was a constant effort to bring down his rule with the sponsorship of major political parties. People have understood the game plan of political parties, they will not fall into their traps again and again and the same rule applies for the media. It is high time that newspapers and news channels stop playing with news and the sensationalisation of the news.
The working media needs to show its social responsibility; it is not just enough to win awards. Journalism is a noble profession, but unfortunately journalists are being compared to low- grade citizens only because of the degrading attitude and behavior of some section of the media. It is treated as one of the glamorous professions these days. It is also the time for the media to learn its basics once again and show its maturity.
Padma Bhargav is a freelance journalist. She can be reached at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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