Narendra Modi Bypasses Media

Try to imagine CM Narendra Modi in pre-internet days trying to get the word out about his performance, good governance and abilities to the rest of the country. He would have been helpless in the face of a combined attack from Congress Bureau of investigation, the pseudo-secular leftist media and the NGOs with equally nefarious agendas. Yes in pre-internet days, Congress would have easily destroyed Narendra Modi.

In those days, the media vultures would shoot off whatever popped into their petty little heads with no fear of a rebuttal. As long as they went along with whatever Congress was doing they had all the power and absolutely no responsibility. It was only during emergency period when some honest and objective journalists took on Indira Gandhi and her machine that they found themselves at the receiving end. I knew a journalist who suffered in those days. He was a man of character and cast iron spine who was a leftist but the kind you have to admire. The journalists these days are leftist only in name. Otherwise they criminally unscrupulous about money (Sanghvi and Barkha Dutt involved in the 2G scam is just one example). These so called star journalists have the morals of sleazy lawyer.

Coming back to the arrogant attitudes of Indian media mavens, even today they shoot off absurd and low class tweets about Hindu nationalists and conservatives (read anything by that despicable couple Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagarika Ghose). They used to get away with anything. Not anymore. As we have said repeatedly on this blog, the Internet has been a great equalizer. Any person with a camera phone and a social media account is a journalist. When the Congress tried to host controlled media appearances of Rahul Gandhi, these cell phone journalists exposed the truth about him.

In the internet age of social media, trends, instant opinion poll and instant responses and rebuttals by anyone with internet access has forced the media vultures into some accountability. Sagarika Ghose’s vitriolic tweets are matched with equal if not more vitriol. Congress snobs who would indulge in all kinds of name calling without expecting any rebuttal are beating a hasty retreat. One of the knocks on the saffron supporter was that they were part of a vernacular speaking unsophisticated silent but subservient majority. Not anymore.

This is what Narendra Modi who is clearly a visionary, realized early on. He saw the advantages of the social media and built an enviable network with dedicated supporters. Even though he is less educated in these areas than the likes of Arvind Kejriwal or Sam Pitroda, he has used this platform and the technology to the envy of many experts. The biggest advantage for Modi was that with this platform he would directly connect with the voters, completely bypassing the media pimps and their biases. It is thanks to this approach that Modi was able to deal with ten years of incessant attacks by various pro-Congress groups and agencies and still win three terms with comfortable majority. And if all this was not enough to convince you of his absolute mastery over the new technology he pulls out another trick out of the bag. To appreciate the brilliance of the “Chai pe Charcha”, you have to view it along with the much touted Janata Darbar that the much more qualified IIT educated engineer Arvind Kejriwal held. You remember that the darbar was a colossal flop and Kejriwal had to flee the venue. A much more cost effective, efficient and safe way was demonstrated by the Chai pe Charcha campaign where the use of internet and teleconferencing Modi could not only talk with real voters but also field very relevant and clearly spontaneous questions. This is even better than the elections in the west where candidates go out to public places and meet up with voters or hold those town hall meetings. I am sure this will get emulated in the west very soon.

Modi has found a way to bypass the media and directly connect with the voters. Now connecting the two is the job of the media but because of their biases, they could never do so in a fair manner. Modi has taught them a lesson. He is fielding tough questions by real people instead of made up, agenda driven media interlocutors. Maybe now Sagarika Ghose can shut up about Modi’s reluctance to be interviewed.

Two of our posts on related topics can be read at:
http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2011/01/indian-media-vs-internet-hindus.html
http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2013/12/congress-media-vultures-vs-saffron.html