Young India voted for
development! People want development! India wants development! Development over
divisive politics! Development over polarisation!
Media’s urge to simplify yet
sensationalise, leads to catchy phrases, one-liners and homilies. While good for dazzling headlines, on most occasions,
these are but a lazy apology of any analysis. Yet, in what is reflective of the
times we live in, large sections of the ‘thinking’ population seem to buy
whatever is peddled in the name of ‘news’ which on most occasions are views formed
of rigid ideologies and half-baked analysis.
So, even the most serious of
issues is reduced to sloganeering – rising complaints of rape means India has a
‘rape culture’ even when investigative analysis from The Hindu shows that a
large number of complaints being lodged today relate to minors eloping and
love/live-in going bad. A series of
foreign visits by the Prime Minister get hailed as symptomatic of India’s
claiming its ‘rightful’ place in the galaxy of nations, when there is no
outcome which could support such delusion. A Laloo Prasad Yadav still gets
spoken of as the Railway turnaround man, when his financial jugglery and
mismanagement only pushed Railways to greater decline. The list is
endless. The media persists in
simplifying issues even if it means extreme dumbing down, because a simple
message is easy to communicate.
Other than rare
circumstances, no elections are won or lost on a single issue alone. UPA did not win 2004 because of India Shining
alone. Likewise, BJP did not win on the plank of economic development alone. Development yes, economic development alone,
no! Some voted in hope of developing more secure borders, some for a less corrupt
polity, some for Hindutva, some for a better life. The way National
independence meant different things to different people, the same way, people
voting for change expected different things from both the victors and losers.
Yet, for argument’s sake,
let us assume that the Indian masses voted for economic development alone. Now
in the last six months, the country has experienced quite a lot of Modi. Modi
coined acronyms, Modi - the pop star, Modi – the charmer, Modi – the u-turn man,
the silent-on-Sangh-Parivar-atrocities Modi, yada yada. These days, the MSM is
brims over with wails on how the loony fringe (read RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, any
Hindutva related organization) is diluting Government’s focus on development.
Some more voices menacingly speak of how this is the ‘real’ agenda, development
being hogwash! Some others bemoan that while the country voted for and is
waiting for ‘development’, Modi government is sidestepping its responsibilities.
That rather than ‘divisive issues’ getting sidelined, they are dominating ‘development’.
Again, for argument’s sake, let
us assume that the media-imagined binaries do exist. Let us suspend our
judgement and agree to the ominous assertion that what is not false must
necessarily be true, that that is not yet must certainly be no. Let us, go with
the MSM assertions since it has abrogated to itself, the right to act as the
Nation’s moral guardian (even if morality is otherwise akin to a swear word).
Having accepted each of MSM’s
assertion, can we ask them (MSM) if they are interested in development?
No one can blame MSM of
lacking guts when it comes to pushing its agenda or campaigning for issues
which are close to its heart. Be it the asinine Aman ki Asha or the venomous
coverage of riots. For the last few months, the MSM has sharpened its
missionary zeal to ‘discover’ attacks on secularism. No issue can be declared
minor or irrelevant when the ‘idea of India’ is at stake and so, for months
now, we have had apoplectic chatterati, screaming till they are blue in the
face, that the RSS (worse than ISIS) is destroying secularism. Whether it is a
case of a pastor clashing with a drunk marriage party, a suspected case of
arson at a church, change of ICHR head, off-the-cuff remarks on history by
sundry personalities, usage of some not-so-kosher terms by a minister, praise
of an assassin, re-conversions, the MSM has admirably (in its own way) held
aloft the flagging flag of secularism.
Pray, if the MSM is really
interested in economic development, which is claims is getting sidestepped,
where exactly is its outrage? When has it tried to put Modi Government on mat
on the issue of development? This Government, after railing against UPA
policies, has taken enough u-turns to resemble a UPA 3 government. A large
number of questionable actions taken by this Government (changing rules for
individuals, tinkering with railway fares through executive orders, gas
pricing, political appointees in constitutional posts, etc.) are sought to be justified
on specious grounds that the previous governments did the same. This government
is following those UPA policies which it vehemently opposed when in opposition
and now claims that those are silver bullets for economic growth. Which section
of MSM has tried to put Modi on mat for it? If what NDA professes now is indeed
true, why should it not be held equally accountable (as UPA) for those lost
years of India’s growth? Which news anchor is trying to dissect the impact of
changes in land acquisition bill and whether an ordinance was required to push
this change?
A question to the MSM – if it
is indeed true that the common man is more interested in finding a livelihood
than anything else, is the MSM not guilty of batting for causes which are not a
primary concern for this archetypical common man? How does it matter then, to a
mill-worker or a CEO if Godse was a patriot or a bloodthirsty assassin? Anyway,
since the MSM has made it very clear that rules which apply to the Hindus to
not apply for the so-called minorities, let us grant it to them that while a
Bhindranwale can be considered a martyr, an Afzal Guru an innocent victim of
the oppressive Indian state, any Hindu opinion, unless validated and approved
by the self-professed liberals, is by default communal, divisive and regressive.
Hence, it is understandably welcome if a Muslim is concerned about Babri but
abomination that a Hindu feels about Ramjanmabhoomi.
Still, even when allowing
for all its ideological predilections, the MSM cannot be excused for not
holding Modi accountable for any issue other than ‘secularism’. By ignoring ‘developmental’
issues and focusing on esoteric ideas, the MSM is letting the Modi government
off the hook. A defense of secularism (even if it is at its most perverted)
does not mean that Modi should not be questioned as vehemently for ‘real’
issues.
If only people blaming NDA
for moving away from the development plank were themselves interested in
development!
