Edit: Media melange

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s post-Diwali interaction with the media at party headquarters has been disappointing. In the four months since he took over as PM, he has not had a press conference where he fielded questions. For a man who enjoys speaking his mind all the time, it is surprising that he should fight shy of facing tough questions. A majority in the media are bowled over by his rhetorical flourishes, his calibrated candour and his brusque charisma. But Modi is not convinced that the media has taken a liking to him. Speaking on the occasion of completing 100 days in office, he complained that he was not allowed even the customary “honeymoon” which a new government enjoys. 

He was being unfair because even the liberal media, which had been an untiring critic since the 2002 Gujarat riots, had turned his admirer in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. The liberal media had harangued the BJP leaders for not choosing the most successful party leader to be PM. When the party named him its prime ministerial candidate, the liberal media pitted Modi against the ineffective Rahul Gandhi, which was quite an unfair contest. Rahul was not the heavyweight that Modi was. It is surprising then that Modi continues to be wary of the media.
In these 100 days and more as PM, Modi ignored the media, speaking to the people directly on television and over radio. He had almost gagged the party and his colleagues in the government from speaking to the media. And he remained a distant figure. Compared to the vocal and media-savvy Modi, the taciturn former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, interacted with the media a lot more, especially when he was in the line of fire over the many scams that erupted all round him, especially during the second term in office. And Singh answered questions though the media was angry with his inane responses.

On Saturday, Modi, adopted a new strategy in dealing with the media. He praised them for promoting his favourite “Swachh Bharat” campaign, and the media folk were happy to take selfies with him and them in the frame. There was no interaction where he was asked questions and where he could have given his tough answers, either in a friendly or in an angry tone. It is a known fact that neither the BJP nor the Prime Minister take kindly to criticism. And there is not even any pretence to hide it. All in all, it is a dangerous strategy. Modi seems to have succeeded in co-opting the media in a way embarrassing for all journalists with any sense of self-worth. He has anaesthetised the media with faint praise.

There is much at stake for both the PM and the media. Modi is unlikely to hear a critical opinion either from the party or from the government. And a leader ought to know that hearing praise alone is quite dangerous, and that it shuts out reality. It is not such a good thing if the media does not offer honest criticism to the PM, to the government and to the ruling party. A loyal media loses the loyalty of its readers, viewers and listeners. In its bid to get the ear of the PM, the media may be tempted to sing the praises of Modi. It will not be of much help either to Modi or themselves. Modi should not defang a critical media by choking it either with praise or excluding it. It is neither good for the country nor for democracy.