Though I also operate within the realms of Indian English media, though I am aware of its “pseudo-secular” credentials, I was baffled by the kind of lop-sided, anti-Modi coverage of the Gujarat elections, especially in the electronic media.
The English newspapers and news channels declare themselves as “unbiased and secular” while they act as if they are the stooges of one particular political formation. I strongly feel unless you are the mouthpiece of a political party, you are supposed to keep your biases aside while writing and reporting. But on the day the Gujarat election results were announced, I saw open disappointment on the faces on many English news channels, and many were seen commenting in the beginning that all was not lost for the Congress and only the urban results had started trickling in and once the rural and tribal-area results were out, it would be a totally different picture. Is this the way the balanced media should report? I think not.
Once it was known that Modi had swept Gujarat, the discussion took on a different direction. The champions of “secularism” declared that in no time, there would be grave problems in the BJP as Modi had become bigger than the party. They also predicted that his next target would be L.K.Advani’s position. Various news channels speculated on how Modi’s victory would adversely affect the BJP.
But not a single journalist spoke about how ineffective Madame Gandhi’s and Rahul Gandhi’s campaigns had been. Like the sycophantic Congress, the ‘secular’ media also did not find anything wrong with the Gandhis. The fault, the incompetence lay with the local leadership. Or was it the electorate that was to blame for their choice?
The newspapers, like the Communist parties, wanted the Congress to rethink and regroup so that the nation could be saved from the ‘communal’ BJP. Many newspapers, in their editorial advised the Congress on how to stop the “communal” BJP. But the funniest comment came from the CPM; “what is required is a determined and uncompromising struggle against the communal ideology of Hindutva and the capacity to launch sustained struggles of all sections of people who suffered from the right wing economic policies of the Modi government.”
As an Indian, certain questions come to my mind. One is, by talking for the majority, if the BJP becomes communal, what do you call the Congress for exploiting the minority which they have been doing ever since India won independence? If the BJP is polarising the society, what do you say about the Congress that had been polarising the Indian society on caste and religious lines? In Gujarat also, had they not been trying to exploit the Patels? You look at Kerala, how many caste based parties are there? Both the Congress and the communist parties field candidates based on the caste preferences of the area. How do you describe this? Secularism?
Among the news channels, nobody except noted journalist M.J.Akbar was interested in analysing the reasons for Modi’s spectacular victory and his unbelievable rise in popularity throughout the country.
Throughout the campaign, Modi spoke about the kind of development he had brought about in Gujarat but how many newspapers and television channels spoke about that? Gujarat could attract investment of US$ 17.8 billion in 2006-07 when the country as a whole attracted $69 billion during the same period. When India’s GDP growth is 9%, it is 13% in Gujarat. Industrial growth in India is 11% while it is 15% in Gujarat. Gujarat accounts for 20% of India’s industrial output, 25% of the country’s textile production, 40% of its pharmaceutical production, 47% of its petrochemical production and 21% of the country’s exports.
Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the father of India’s Green Revolution, (who makes it clear he differs with Modi’s politics), recently told me in an interview, “Some states like Gujarat have done good work, so the agricultural growth rate in Gujarat is over 9%. That is because they have been given the soil health cards, they have been given credit; in short, they have been given all the support system. They have a lot of land in the Kutch region, and they have developed it. Whatever may be Modi’s politics, which I may not approve, he is a very good administrator.” Gujarat achieved this when the country’s agricultural growth was a mere 2%.
I wonder if Modi is maut ka saudagar, what do you call the Congress for what happened in 1984? What do you call the Communists for what happened in Nadigram?
It is high time the nation knew what Modi had done for his state rather than talking about communalism? It is high time to find out what the younger generation of India find in him? It is high time to find out why he is the hero of modern India? It is also high time the English media in India came out of the warp of pseudo secularism and see the reality that is there in the country.
There is a complete apathy of the custodian of the power towards their welfare and in our country “We, the people ” who are regarded to be the sovereign of the nation are living a life full of abrogation and subjugation. I seldom consider that whether it is worthwhile to shout a voice and thereby invite some lighter sleeper to suffer the agony of the death and this purpose achieved through my writing may serve some purpose. Since the daylight shallow the darkness, Please Write articles to take the intellectual from apathetically approach towards rectification of prevailing maladies as to wake up
Yogesh Kumar Saxena, Advocate, High Court Allahabad (India) e mail Address yogrekha@yahoo.co.in or yogrekha@rediffmail.com Phone:- 91/ 0532/637720/2436451, Mobile:- 9415284843
The dimension and horizon created by our mentor guardian of all the three organs on account of its slave orientation to drag an individual to the point of abrogation and subjugation by confining his inner instincts and his existence is an iron cage, not having any ventilation and people are living in the state of suffocation, virtually on the verge of their death point.
well documented. good work
absolutely right…i happens to read ur this article today..our media is no.1 corrupt..they r wearing intellectual mask…it is fasion 4 them to portraite them as secular…
nice post shoba. very emotive and you bring out the right points. there can be multiple modis in india, however, and we may end up fighting the same fight again and again. for every modi or for every naidu, would you have an s m krishna. i don”t think so too. but then do we want to compare and contrast. mayhaps not. are we trying to say that modi as an administrator has done much better than what the congress has ever done. or that modi as an administrator would have done as much whether he be a part of the bjp or the congress. that i, feel, should be deliberated more upon. cheerios shoba, ps..st. a wonderful post.
I do agree with you.As a Gujarat resident and a employee of Gujarat government I have closely witnessed the development revolution here.His ideas ,his doctrine ,his vision,his will power is simply unbeaten,Yesteday only I had attended his public function on Golden Gujarat at Kamrej i.e about 15 KM froa Surat.Very unusal or rathr historical moment every one witnessed was that a school girl greeted him in english language with a 5 minute speech.It was the result of launching of program “Scope” in schools in which spoken English language is tauhght to non english medium schools.His idea is to let students talk to world in world’’s language.
Brave comment……… but this is what blogging is…….. u have expressed feeling of a unbiased man…….. today Nanawati report also endorese Modi ……… Media n more rightly english Media who poses it self as secular but not in actual can now see what the fact were……. if they have courage to secular ….. they should start behaving more resposibaly…. Good write up …… keep it up.
for me he is a hero….provoking post…..very well written..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcN5wVoEboc
well if u think, killing so many innocents in Gujrat, makes him hero, then he is…huh.
nyway, just go through the link & see how ur hero given the interview BRAVELY, hahahaha…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcN5wVoEboc
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gud…thought provoking post
There is only one thing which is permenant in the world.CHANGE.Even after getting solid kick at their back,our so called secular English media is not changing.For many years,after watching most of the english news channels in India,I still wonder our english media is unable to project his works or throw him out.Atleast U had guts to open up.Brave blogginn
For me Modi is a hero, and indeed a future PM prospect in-line after Advani. Bravo for speaking up.
It is quite sad that anyone who seems to criticize right wing hindu politics is slammed with the label of a pseudo-secularist! Yes gujarat may have progressed economically but I would never shift to gujarat even if i was offered a great job with a big salary because i dont want to live in a blatatantly, proudly biased and unjust society.
Shobha whatever development Modi makes will always stand shorter when those images are seen on TV which for me is modern day holocaust because it happened when print and electronic media were so strong .Imagine if there had been no electronic media….i cant imagine ..if u can ? All those dictators Hitler ,musolini,saddam Hussain always have good administration during their rule ,but only as cosmetic way. Behind theveil their lies lot of secrecy..CAN U ANSWER ONE QUESTION? when did godhra happen ?Ans:-when he was chief minister …in normal circumstances he should have been accountable BUT he engineered riots to cover up his failure and won votes on dead bodies.when history of gujrat is going to be written ,he will be known as Milosevic of the east or Rodaovan CARADICH no generation will pardon him for his sins .whatever development he did is all sham . justice is more important than money because when justice reigns development follows NOT other way round..hope u are listening.
Hi Shobhaji ! well whatever you have mentioned here can not be wellreceived by those who has never been to Gujarat…..I had started my career in Gujarat and i have seen small small thing which really touched my heart abt Gujarat and Narendra Modi.See people will keep saying abt Narendra Modi but once they need to visit any Govt office in Gujarat and even any Police Station…you will feel the difference…they really so wellbehaved and Modi has specifically instructed that noone must be harassed for any reason….see the roads……see the People…and moreover People are so nice…..Gals they move around and hanging around till late night………..Really Vibrant Gujarat…..Jai Bharat…Jai Gujarat…..Long Live Narendra Modi……Modi too likes Priyanka(dun take it otherwise…….u dirty mind…lol) and Sonaiji (She got older now ….so pls stop smiling…u stupid) and Rahul (made for nothing guy…..Rakhi Sawant is interested in him…he he ) but not the policy of Congress…….
Well, he can have growth. But he is nothing more than a fanatic who happens to stand taller in the graves of committing genocide. Development comes with integration of all communities. Otherwise it is just figures - that never remains same.
This was not expected from u.
How can a normal mallu who had good experience of secularism can think like this?? I feel pity with u……………………..
I would like the writer to go into details about the Gujarat before modi came to power and during the Modi era.Gujarat has always been an industrially developed nation. Before you start praising Modi please consider these facts.
1.Thousands of muslims were killed ,raped ,looted in the post godhra riots which Modi supported. This was later confirmed by a TV sting operation. Till now its is not proved how the Sabarmathi express caught fire. The forensic evidence confirms that fire started from inside .
The behaviour of karsevaks started the unpleasantful incidents.
2.Many innocet people have been jailed for godhra train fire even with out being convicted
3.What harm did the innocent women who were raped brutally did to Modi. If he had a family he would have know their pain. Nothing even if the economic growth rate is 100% will not be enough to erase their pain.
4.Adolf hitler as a person has no bad habits.Germany also progrssed under him.But no one praise hitler,Modi is next Hitler
what a beautiful post
modi slapped a big time on faces of all pseudo secularists
a slap which can be felt is is painful a 100 times more than a physical slap
ndtv, cnn ibn deserved that
congress, sonia deserved that
hats off to modi
we need a cheif minister like him in all states
A Thought - Provoking Post, thanks for Posting. Indeed channels like CNN-IBN are projecting their own ideas rather reporting the news.
what u said is exacley correct….. i really appreciate u…..
I do agree with your views. The media should restrauned themselves from the biased approach towards certain political parties and leader. Neutral, unintentional and pro-social steps are required to be adopted by the media since it’’s a plain mirror to the entire world. Thanks for your views…
No doubt you have a very good point based on purely economics and prosperity. Basically you are saying totally ignore years of oppression on Dalits and move on. Indirectly you are agreeing with the oppression of colored people by majority white America and termination of jews by Adolf Hitler’’s Germany who said the same things and propagandas for their own benefits. For all who dont know, Hitler and pro-isolation leaders in America were very popular leaders who were praised and voted by voters just the way Modi is percieved today. But any way, I dont support the minorities either. Every one (including Modi, the writer here and myself) is out to make few bucks more or gain popularity and they write their own belifs and thesis to justify that. That is the beauty of internet! Hitler can present himself as Gandhi! Criminal capitalist can claim himself as reformer! Beggars can say they are crorepathis!
@modi-the hero……u think xactly the way i do….gr8 thought.. i seriously think indian media has a large room for improvement..anyways..tx for the post
“It takes years to built up a trust and seconds to destroy it.”Unknown
really thoughts seemz quite true… i really respect modi and you too… thanks for nice article….
Hats off to Ms Shoba for a wonderful and clear analysis and also reflecting the sentiments of millions of right thinking individuals. The newspapers and the media instead of placing the facts as they exist before the people so that the people of india can take their own decision act as stooges of the various political parties thereby instead of preserving democracy they are destroying it. See the number of political parties opening their own tv channels and newspapers. newspapers should be independent and fearless. But today we find that there are tv and media correspondents who speak , interview and talk like they are experts without knowing anything. God save indian democracy.
Writer Shobha,
What a wounderful analysis of the great Indian Hero Narendra Modi. In today’’s scenario this country needs at least 50 Narendra Modis. But we are fotunate to have one Narendra Modi, thankful to almighty and thankful to Bharat Mata to give us a worthy son.
Only person like Narendra Modi can save India while the Congress and Communist parties in last more than 50 years literally destroyed this great country. India has lost its self respect due to Congress and Communist. It looks Congress is working for the West and US and Communist is working for China in bringing down this country.
It is high time people like Mr. Narendra Modi should take over this country to reinstate our self respect and make India as a real great force.
Dilip K.
i myself have been in gujarat since 1 year, there modi is a hero, coz he acts and his acts are translated in action by govt and has resulted in a new attitude and real development of people…apurva
You said what i wanna to but you also expressed every one’’s view.
Being a teenager i am not aware of much facts about the development brought about in Gujarat and the reasons responsible for it but Mr. Narendra Modi summed up his own persona by saying that a child can never supersede the mother who gave him birth ( or something similar to the effect) when it was being speculated that how Mr. Modi is overtaking the Bjp and the Sangh Parivar. This alone is a testimony to his wisdom and intelligence,not to mention superb diplomatic skills. Your piece is quite an echo of my sentiments too. Hats Off!!!!!!!
Modi is the only hope to save this country.tamilnadus water problem,chinese aggression and all the other ills of this country can be cured by ONLY MODI. jebamani mohanraj