Modi wins semi-final: It's meaning

The political dust storm that had kept the political society in Bharat , quite busy at all levels in general and the five states in particular where general elections were slated to be held, a threat of unease and uncertainty of the future, which at times looked like furiously shaking the democratic fabric, has at last been settled down on 4th December 2023.

Heated dialogues , abusing each other, minor angry exchanges and a few other human facets exhibited, were a few ugly features of the electoral battle.:

It is very interesting to note that the discussions which prevailed in almost all the channels and the participants were unanimous in concluding that the INDIA alliance and esp. the frontrunner Congress party would sweep the polls and Modi would be nowhere in the field. Once this was achieved we will casually and without much efforts would displace the incumbent, everybody seemed confident.

The mischievous media effectively created an atmosphere which made the people believe that the end of Modi was nearing closer. Popular faces , self-proclaimed political commentators and learned analysts who preceding weeks together were seen on the tele-screens announcing their pre-counting results , had become eager on the counting day i.e. December, the 3rd 2023, to witness the end of the Modi era with great joy.

But that was not to happen. Voters had something else in their mind. All those who were self announced judges , had no answer to submit or offer any comment except their fallen faces on the screen.

The successful outcome of the democratic practices in the battle was as follows :

How the media esp. the electronic media behaved during the campaign, is a matter of great concern. Besides the baseless statements in the deliberations and misuse of statistical methods wielding it as a weapon to misguide the voters, warrants a necessity of some sort of statutory regulation defining the scope of freedom of speech and liberty of electronic print expression. Is it the way ,the fourth estate is expected to discharge its function ? ( It is interesting to note that there is not a single reference made to the role of a political party in the Constitution of Bharat )

Ventilation of personal animosity cannot be a cause for media unleashing its terror to gag the vocal opponents. In such cases media does not merely gag the opponents , but it incites violence and creates uneasy law and order situations by publishing misleading news lines.

It will not be an exaggeration to state that the media seems to be more dangerous than the working of the political parties. An important factor to remember isthat media literacy becomes a pre-condition for a competent political society .

It is interesting to note the following :

Media contain ideological and value messages. Media literacy involves an awareness of the ideological implications and value systems of media texts. All media products are advertising in some sense - for themselves, but also values or ways of life. They usually affirm the existing social system by following: the nature of "the good life" and the role of affluence in it, the virtues of "consumerism," the proper role of women, the acceptance of authority, and unquestioning patriotism. We need to use decoding techniques in order to uncover these ideological messages and value systems.

( Source : Quoted from Media Literacy Resource Guide. Ontario Ministry of Education, 1989. pp. 8-9.)

Furthermore, where does the Bhartiya media fit itself in the following five principles laid down by the Foreign

Media Association :

These are the five core principles of journalism that all FMA members have to adhere to:

1. Truth and Accuracy – Journalists cannot always guarantee ‘truth’, but getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism. We should always strive for accuracy, give all the relevant facts we have and ensure that they have been checked. When we cannot corroborate information we should say so.

2. Independence – Journalists must be independent voices; we should not act, formally or informally, on behalf of special interests whether political, corporate or cultural. We should declare to our editors – or the audience – any of our political affiliations, financial arrangements or other personal information that might constitute a conflict of interest.

3. Fairness and Impartiality – Most stories have at least two sides. While there is no obligation to present every side in every piece, stories should be balanced and add context. Objectivity is not always possible, and may not always be desirable (in the face for example of brutality or inhumanity), but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence.

4. Humanity – Journalists should do no harm. What we publish or broadcast may be hurtful, but we should be aware of the impact of our words and images on the lives of others.

5. Accountability – A sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability to hold ourselves accountable. When we commit errors we must correct them and our expressions of regret must be sincere not cynical. We listen to the concerns of our audience. We may not change what readers write or say but we will always provide remedies when we are unfair.” [ Source : Ethical Journalism Network]

It will be interesting to x-ray the performance of the Bharatiya electronic media while covering the voting behavior of the Bharatiya voters during the General Elections in the five states in Bharat.

The outcome of these elections has proved the electronic media not only wrong and misleading the citizens, but by targeting the Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally and as a Party man , inadvertently several paid analysts, carried out anti-nationalist campaign against the Prime Minister. Several of these ceased to be media-persons and accepted the brief of I N D I A alliance . Is the Bharatiya media turning itself into paid political agents ?

It is very interesting to take note of an interview on a TV channel where its anchor Dr. Qumar Cheema was in a question-Answer session with Mr.Sajid Tarar who is a US national . The episode was an eye-opener for all.

There are , of course a few print media personnel who are competent in philosophizing the economic and political decisions taken by the prime minister. Bharatiya prime minister has acquired all the good qualities and versatile competence in planning and executing them when he had spent his earlier life as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ‘prachaarak’ for as many as 18 years in Gujarat .This was a period during which Narendra Modi was moulded ,first as an party manager, followed by as the chief minister for over a decade and as at present as the prime minister for close to a decade period. Emerging from a family with a poor background, immediately he kept the poor man at the centre and started preparing plans for the poor . However ,this is not a column where his economic decisions are discussed.

Modi’s sixers :

There is a long list of the schemes , plans , programmes, implemented by the Union government. In short , Modi has brought about vast changes in the planning processes . , individual development schemes, during the last decade despite several programmes which proved to be successful whereby crores of beneficiaries commenced a new life in Bharat. Old systems of work went under drastic changes.

I N D I A alliance partners and their enslaved media personnel deliberately twisted the facts by misinterpreting the plans and the achievements .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi , an unprecedented personality with great stamina and vision with an unstoppable mission to rejuvenate the ancient culture of Bharat which was hitherto shadowed by several invaders who tried to destroy the indigenous culture. All of these miserably failed. Because the Bharatiya culture is like an octopus , it does not repulse the foreign element, but it successfully gulps it.

Another important feature is that despite the well known golden era of the ancient Bharat , the present is insensitive to this factor. Invaders have been invading Bharatiya nation and her culture for the last thousand years. Prime Minister Modi is perhaps the first one who is trying to reconnect the present with the past with great pride. In a short span of a decade Modi pushed Bharat to the top and reserving an unbeatable , unshakable space for herself on her own,and not at somebody’s mercy aimed at growing into the position of “Vishwguru”.

Modi made it possible since he succeeded in establishing political continuity, political stability and civilian supremacy in Bharat. Moreover, it became possible since Modi is an embodiment of sincerity, nationalist attitude and commitment.

It is anybody’s guess that Modi is in the final and champion in 2024. The world will know Narendra Modi as the mood of Bharat.