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Politics was not so murky and abysmal before the 1990s, or apparently it didn’t look so, but with the evolution of media, a wave of transparency has transcended on each decision-making body and also on the decision makers of this country. The 21st century has seen the advent of investigative journalism, and with it, that of blame games and revolutions.

The past decade witnessed the trend of ‘an uprising media’, which has now become the face of India. More appropriately, it is the tool in the hands of citizens, to check the wrong-doings of the so called ‘public workers’. Many scams have been unearthed, many bad policies reviewed and many politicians sent to jails for their ill work , all has been made possible due to the ever-efficient media and its wide outreach.

The polity of India is now as lucid as a diamond. Every new policy is now checked, if not by the policy-makers than by the media, the fourth pillar of democracy. Well, we all know what happened with the Augusta-Westland deal. Every strand of the deal was reviewed and put in front of the people to decide. What if media had not been there? The corrupt in this case would have run away with all the black money. Fortunately it was present, and thus the deal was put off for an internal inquiry.

This is just one example of the power of media when it comes to being a critic of Indian politics. There is another side to the story, wherein media has also helped the politics to incur a never before seen boom. Parties now reach people through the media. A 500 crore image makeover for the scion of one of the major political parties in India is not a lie. Political parties have been on both back foot due to the media revolution and at the front foot when it comes to improving their public image. The ‘Development model of Gujarat’, and ‘Chai pe Charcha’ are two such examples of the same, where through media, interested parties have tried for an image makeover. Not only makeover, media has also helped some budding parties to come at par with national ones as we saw in the AAP phenomenon.

So, it is understandably clear, how media can shape the politics and with it the future of this country. What has to be borne in mind is the limit in which it has to work. The past has shown us how media can change scenarios, what has to be ensured is such a change in the status quo is for the betterment of the people of this country. As ultimately, media is by the people, of the people and for the people.

Illustration credits: Megha Saraogi for DU Beat

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Be it Rs 5 ticket to hear NaMo in Hyderabad or the Rambonomics of saving 15,000 persons during the Uttrakhand calamity, recent developments have underscored Modi’s position as first among equals for the prime-ministerial post in the opposition Bhartiya Janta Party, for the next year Lok Sabha elections. His style of governance and vision polarises and unites the people across various sections in India, alike. Modi, an ardent orator with a right-wing bold approach, rose with the staunchly rising middle-class in India.

‘India- from a Nation of Snake-Charmers to a Nation of Mouse Charmers’- is one of the few quotes that appear at the top on Narendra Modi’s website. At the top of the home-page of Narendra Modi’s website, there are options like, ‘Write to Narendra Modi’, ‘Request an appointment’ and ‘Invite the CM to an event’. It seems, Modi is reaching out to his fans and followers like none ever did. Modi was in campaign mode prior to recently being appointed as the chairman of the 2014 Lok Sabha Election Campaign Committe of the BJP. In the face of Advani’s opposition to Modi’s elevation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stepped in to support the move. Since then, Modi has been on a campaign spree.

‘I am nationalist. I am patriotic. I am a born Hindu.’ Modi replied in a recent interview to the Reuters when asked about, who the real Modi is that people want to know. On the goals the next government should achieve, Modi said that it would need to give people confidence, it should build the trust in people. Moreover, he said that polarisation in a democracy is bound to happen, citing the American example of polarisation between Democrats and Republicans.

The ghosts of 2002 Gujarat riots, that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, continue to haunt him. He told the Reuters that religion should not be an instrument in the democratic process. He says, “For me secularism is, India first.” Still, his secular credentials haven’t many takers. Though, Modi is the biggest crowd-puller for India’s main opposition party, he appears to be a more divisive figure rather than a uniting one. This fact very well embodies in the reluctance of major National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition partners in supporting Narendra Modi. Janata Dal United (JDU), a key regional ally, has already cut-off its ties with the BJP. Shiv Sena, another major NDA coalition partner, has also shown its resentment after Modi’s elevation.

Modi’s marketing tactics can give even the best PR and marketing agencies of the country a run for their money. Though, Modi out rightly denies having PR agency, there is an army on social media projecting him as the unmatchable achiever. Modi is reigning supreme in terms of twitter followers, recently moving ahead of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. After SRCC, Modi recently visited Fergusson College, Pune. Modi, with his aggressive and bold approach, strikes a chord with the youths.

Most recently, a website narendramodiplans.com was taken down after it offended ‘certain people’ of the society. The website has more recently been started again by two people. They say, “There used to be a site on this domain which came under controversy and was deleted. We found this domain orphaned and thought that ideas must not die out of fear. We have no idea what was on the site before, except that it pissed off a lot of people. We are not averse to adding any ideas you have here. Shoot them off to [email protected] We don’t mind offending a few.”

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