BJP-ruled India has an op-ed shaped global problem. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, his domestic critics have found new shores to launch their attacks from. These include The Washington Post, The New York Times, Gulf News, The Guardian, and Foreign Affairs, among others.
The problem has only deepened in the Modi government’s second term wherein the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the dilution of Article 370 revoking Jammu and Kashmir’s special status were enacted.
So, why is it that only a certain point of view gets aired in allegedly “liberal” bastions like The New York Times? Or only negative stories about India make it to The Guardian? Why is it that The Washington Post’s standards of proof and fact-checking required for Indian claims of hitting Balakot in Pakistan are never applied in case of its star columnist Rana Ayyub, who has yet to produce a shred of proof for anything she has written so far?
Also read: US politician Tulsi Gabbard calls out Rana Ayyub for tweeting ‘misinformed’ article
The binding factor
The default choice of the Western liberal media is so pronouncedly anti-Modi government that it is easy to dismiss them as writers of fiction in India. It’s not like the Indian press asks author J.K. Rowling to talk about Britain or Maya Angelou the US economy. But the British and American media do ask Booker awardees Aravinda Adiga and Arundhati Roy to comment on India.
The reasons, as usual, are multi-causal and complex.
The Washington Post, for example, is spoilt for choice. Almost all the think tanks are within a 2-km radius of the newspaper’s K Street headquarters in Washington DC. They can seek out op-eds by Jeff Smith at the Heritage Foundation, Ashley Tellis at Carnegie, Dhruva Jaishankar at Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Sameer Lalwani at Stimson Center, Richard Rossow at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) – all of whom will be less than a 20-minute walk away. These people are classified as serious experts on topics ranging from the Indian economy to Indian nuclear weapons. Yet, the newspaper’s star interpreter of India is Rana Ayyub. Why?
The answer is simple. Few of those outside the policy circle have heard of Jeff, Ashley, Dhruva, Sameer or Richard. Their precision and nuance are for the technically minded — they can’t and won’t dumb it down to suit the prism of the country club liberals and the enraged masses. Rana Ayyub, on the other hand, will — even the Supreme Court had rejected her book Gujarat Files – Anatomy of a Cover Up, which an NGO seeking further probe into Haren Pandya murder case had relied upon, by saying it was “based upon surmises, conjectures, and suppositions”. But as long as Rana Ayyub can bring the clicks to their site, she’ll always be more valuable than any serious analyst.
Also read: In Rana Ayyub, the White West has found its next Arundhati Roy
The working gang of the foreign press
There’s a reason movies do better than documentaries. The state of journalism is such that no one gets as excited by facts as they do by yarns and sharp, polarising opinions. That’s why digital media needs people like Rana Ayyub and Swati Chaturvedi. Many of them have formidable social media following, which always helps bring web traffic.
One test is to see how many of their articles are published in the print version of the newspapers they write for. The second point is the way publications pick columnists, which isn’t driven by the salience or substance of the authors’ arguments. The dirty secret of the publishing trade is that organisations choose someone they are socially and politically compatible with in this age of hyper partisanship.
If you’re a member of the Italian Cultural Centre or the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Delhi or if you are just waltzing by Khan Market, you’ll often find the NYT, WaPo, Guardian, WSJ correspondents hanging out there. Invariably, they are influenced by the likes of Rana Ayyub, Arundhati Roy, and Pankaj Mishra. These foreign journalists don’t want answers; they seek validation of their pre-existing views. Much of this has to do with the social dynamics of Delhi where White people slot themselves into a social strata that would be well outside their station back home — not unlike British cockney colonels who suddenly found themselves catapulted to hunting with maharajas in India.
Also read: You can’t cancel Modi, RSS: Why US-style identity politics won’t help Indian liberals’ fight
Left’s permanent struggle with narrative
The champagne socialists’ unmistakable feature is that once it crowns you as a legitimate voice, it starts promoting you socially and economically as well. The champagne socialist influencers amplify the ‘Left voice’ by sharing articles written by other like-minded authors, so that the ecosystem continues to flourish. This lobby consists of status quoists who now feel dispossessed by the Modi administration and the only tool to fight back is a full-scale narrative hijack. This is where foreign publications and their op-eds come in, fighting the diplomatic war against India in cahoots with the desi Left.
There are two aspects to this narrative hijack — and none seems to be working for the Indian Left. The first is the global hyper partisanship and the near simultaneous collapse of the centre brought on by social media. Be it the US, the UK or India, social media has essentially taken us back to the Athenian Agora period when Socrates was condemned to drink hemlock. There is no room for nuance or building bridges, and the extreme viewpoint invariably seizes the narrative. The second factor further disturbed the Left’s narrative game — the emergence of leaders such as Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi on the Right. For these leaders, the more extreme the virtue signalling, the easier the election contest, which I have written about earlier. In a way, The New York Times and The Washington Post are ensuring Modi’s re-elections by such strident content — a classic case of the path to hell being paved with good intentions.
Let’s be clear, though. In this day and age, there is no money for serious research. Falling media revenue means that cheaper opinions will always be prioritised over expensive facts. Here, the yarn spinner always wins. The only one who gets carried away by this drama is the gullible public. Media outlets and their agent provocateurs regard this template as a cash cow, while the targeted politicians love it — the more media outlets publish such voices, the more votes they get. It’s a classic win-win situation that suits everyone.
The author is a senior fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. He tweets @iyervval. Views are personal.
This article has been updated to reflect changes about authors who write for foreign media.
Wonderful article.
Writer has removed many of my misgivings about how come these Western big news channels permit of lies of Rana Ayyub likes.
Now the clouds are thinning.
BTW, publishing this article has redeemed the print, as both point of views are getting place here.
The country has never seen such hatred, vengeance and division crested by a few power hungry individuals, and they say Corona has taughtvtmem a lesson,, NONEVER,, such chsracters will never change and this is the plain truth, no need of external media to proove it , But they dont know,,,,,,,, As you Sow,,, So shall you reap
Please send this article to NY Times, Wash Post , WSJ, Guardian etc. showing low levels of “journalism” they are doing
What a silly article.
Truth hurts. Ur brain have been conditioned to believe whatever hyperbolic lies, misinformation, half baked truth , that u read in the newspapers mentioned above. Hence u r brainwashed to the extent that as soon as someone challenge ur views by exposing how these agenda driven newspapers work and why they choose cheap op ed writers, rejected in India, suddenly the only option u r left with is to shrug it off as “cheap article”. U r a Victim of yellow journalism. I rarely read these papers and whenever I read their “India” articles , the amount of manipulative lies they push through is plain horrible. Just read their series of trash articles on Kashmir or caa
This itself is am article which is weaving a n arguments without facts. The author virtually is using unsubstanciate statements and criticises the left liberal for not arguing with facts on their side. Forget Rana Ayub if you like but to claim the Swati Chaturvedi or Ramachandra Guha is writing without facts or logic, to say the least is laughable. Swati’s book is full of screen shots. if those are fake why are people not suing her? Let the author cite and prove.
Hey, don’t get offensive after reading it, particularly when he has already mentioned the truth in his article,
“Let’s be clear, though. In this day and age, there is no money for serious research. Falling media revenue means that cheaper opinions will always be prioritised over expensive facts.”
Publisher’s revenue must be falling so they took cheaper opinions over expensive facts.
Swati Chaturvedi’s articles are pure demagoguery. There is nothing thoughtful or thought provoking in them, just hysterical rants and raves against Modi and the BJP. When does one read an article of hers in the “Gulf News”( or anywhere) and then think to oneself ” That was very incisive, balanced, nuanced and well researched”.
Agreed Swati Chaturvedi is goodi medi of left but is there any one equal to Ravish Kumar in the left camp? Still Swati is not bhakt of left, she has some brains to criticize left when they mess up. But right is full of right guys who never do wrong.
Mr Varun Shekhar: You bleat:
“Swati Chaturvedi’s articles are pure demagoguery”
So how would you characterise Arnab Goswami’s shouting matches ?
The very fact that Arnab has many different guests on his program, and incorporates or anticipates the criticism that he and Republic TV face, itself puts him way above Swati Chaturvedi. Chaturvedi is pure anti-Modi and anti-BJP negativity, without any counterbalancing. She has nothing nice, uplifting, incisive or positive to say about India, forget political parties and personages.
The so called socilists in the foreign country has seen India as a slow developing nation past seven decades inspite of having the potential. due to the policy adopted by the Congress party, they have even decided that this nation Will be ruled by the present minorities in decades to come. All of a sudden the BJP came to power and they have changed the nation’s history within six years. To add further they have taken action to stop the minorities from further adding their numbers. This has irritated thease guys and started all kinds of nonsensical statements from the foreign lands, who has no buissiness to interfere on our policy matters or anything the value. Jai Bharath.
An ill written school-boy essay, by a ‘twice born’ epsilon-minus oaf.
I challenge him to a debate, on any topic, at any time and place of the iyer’s choosing.
You haven’t refuted or countered one argument or observation of his. Just insulted him
A rat challenging a lion!
Why?
They are not paid media like you who has slowly become maid of Modi and BJP.
The question is, are those media balanced, objective, nuanced and well researched? Do they impress people with their erudition and/or insight. The answer is absolutely not.
Modi seems to have closed your shop.
well said ; “These foreign journalists don’t want answers; they seek validation of their pre-existing views.”
Narahantak Modi is a laughing stock. His electral strategy simple, create islamophobia and gain power.Itseems There is a U.S. PR firm which gets him the image makeover for millions of dollars. His supportes (langoti bhakths) conveniently forget his promises in which his success is ZERO.
Abrogation of article 370,caa,nrc .doctored babri verdict all are the coverup.
He is Indian version of another lunatic DoLand Trump ?
There are other phobias- India-phobia, Hindu phobia, Hindutva phobia and Modi phobia. So called Islamaphobia has justification, because Islamic terrorism is massive and global. India has been hard hit.
Modi is smarter than the all Modi haters put together.
Mr ak.dev: I guess a Delhi University education, a few decades of running around in khakhi shorts and a lathi and a deadly pogrom on your CV make you a lot smarter than most other men. At least in your opinion.
Theres a mistake in the title…it should be CHAMPION, not CHAMPAGNE.
What does distance (“20 minutes away from K street”) have to do with choosing an op-ed writer in this day and age??!! The writer could be anywhere…
Also – “serious experts” – really? From ORF etc? Now you make me laugh again…
But you do end on a wistful/tragic note – part of which I can sorta agree with – “social media has essentially taken us back to the Athenian Agora period when Socrates was condemned to drink hemlock. There is no room for nuance or building bridges.. ” – Sad indeed…
You worm!
You almost redeemed your sins in your last article.
I’m sorry but you need to crawl right back into your hole again!
But stay blessed!
Om shanti!
Nice point by point rebuttal of the article!
Very nice analysis good article keep it up
Very well articulated article, I follow Mr. Abhijit regularly only his columns& you tube , I am surprised The Print under Shekhar Guptha, who is a leftist , allowing Abhijit to express his views !!!
Good article.
“Yarn Spinning”? Indian media except for a few has lost all credibility by continuously playing their flute for the govt. And when some people on ground bring the truth you instead of logically disproving them rely on “left narrative” building to support your argument… This has been a waste of space.
For every domestic outlet that leans pro-government, there is one that is blatantly anti-establishment. Don’t know what you are talking about.
“For these leaders, the more extreme the virtue signalling, the easier the election contest, which I have written about earlier. In a way, The New York Times and The Washington Post are ensuring Modi’s re-elections by such strident content ” I really do not think even 1% of indian voters ever read these articles
It’s because the Indian media is muzzled
I wouldn’t place blind faith in any media. Unless you want to grieve for maths-teacher-turned-rebel Riaz Naikoo, that is!
It’s hilarious when someone describes Narendra Modi as a right-wing politician.
The man desires nothing more than extreme control of the citizens by the State. He has a penchant for big government, high taxation and distributing “free” stuff. Further, he dislikes the intelligentsia, free markets and freedom of speech to the extent that he has pushed laws against these.
All these are the traits of a socialist. Except, in his case, instead of appealing to the labor class, he tricks the massive middle in to believing that he is savior of Hindus.
Excellent piece though… The Print as usual giving everyone a chance.
“The man desires nothing more than extreme control of the citizens by the State. “…..that IS, my boy, in lay man’s terms, “a right-wing politician”….LOL….you missed it didnt you…..
Sure son, Putin is a right wing politician. So was Mao Zedong. How about Kim Jong? He’s been teaching you… You should know. Pol Pot perhaps?
Anyone?
Unless you wish to disown your ideological brothers for a brownie point, please do me not attempt to respond.
Excellent , well said , there are a few in CNN as well , who always capture mumbai slums & project that as India doing badly
Excellent. These authors may be spitting venom against Modi in WP, NT etc. but their impact on electoral politics back home is limited. Here the left ecosystem is not the kind of traction which it used to get some years back.
The problem is not that we have many sickulars and anti nationals writing in foreign publications but there is hardly any worthwhile right winger who can consistently write well and take them on, even if it is in the local media. In any case, an ordinary Indian voter has understood the game of sickulars and if Modi fulfills their basic expectations from him, he would continue to win elections. However, for Modi, it is essential that he changes the economic structure of India and removes all cobwebs of the past socialistic controls on economic activities so that Indian economy grows rapidly and consistently over a period of next 10 years. Sickulars can continue to write and make money and foreign publications can continue to publish but lose money.
I would trust the global media with my shirt, would be happy to say the same some day for the entirety of our media as well.
I hope you are grieving for the maths-teacher-turned-rebel Riaz Naikoo then!
“The champagne socialists”, a nice coin developed to give an identity to the liberals who see democracy and free media eroding fast in India. Pages can be written about it. But in short; the Indian media very structured to spew anti-Pakistan rhetoric so profusely that even the think tanks don’t shy away from it. India has been promoted as a Hindu country where people of other religions are considered second rate citizens; a la RSS and BJP. Money walks the walk in Indian media as few of them own most of it. The biggest democracy has failed India and also the region. I am not Indian nor a Pakistani. This is my humble opinion.
This columnist is a shallow, surface guy. THE PRINT shouldn’t indulge such authors. There is something called “rooted in the soil”, which is what a sincere socialist must be. Whether she or he has a taste for Lassi or Champagne can be a thing of importance only to a fellow like this columnist. Nehru, a “champagne” person was a genuine socialist compared to a sham, the present incumbent “fakir” ; Brezhnev used to get his suits stitched in Paris. People who are better read than me can cite many more examples.
The news paper delivery in US is by the paper wrapped in a one time use plastic bag thrown in your driveway. Most of the papers are free and go directly to trashcan except on weekend when the sales and discount adds are seen.
In this news paper culture, for the few who might want to read or have nothing better than to read the paper the op-ed space can be attractive, it is essentially a political pondy which means nothing other than filth.
Who writes these op-eds ? These are basically frustrated journos themselves or journos on the pay rolls of frustrated politicians.
Since 2014 a considerable numbers of both have suddenly lost their relevance and are now counting on the payback time from the GORA jurno friends, who were extensively wined and dined at the cost of tax payer in the good old days.
I see no justification in calling Rana a “champagne socialist”…..During this pandemic she has been constantly in loved in relief efforts for the poor
But the point on “the more extreme the virtue signalling, the more easier is the election contest” is one that makes a lot of sense.
But if taken as a gist, then this opinion piece is more of a rant.
Rightly said. Even in between they put some facts also people will not able to notice and ignore. Whatever they do with their narratives, mainly consists of false allegation, half-truths & try to sensitize the issue under the lenses to make it big. So, naturally the politicians especially leaders like Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, and of course our own PM Narendra Modi who can play the victim card & get elected. These Red wine, Cheese club will gape in surprise.
Good article.
Thanks
Nagesh Rao
The Times or the Post publish opinions from all sides as long as they are factual and rational. They do not publish tabloid-ish opinions (such as this author’s). They vet even the opinions, not just the articles. As a result, most Indian right-wing writers get filtered out with just a simple smell test. The people who make it are the likes of Guha. The author likely considers Arnab Goswamy as the epitome of journalistic integrity and intellectual honesty. and perhaps, he should stick with that class of low brow tabloid journalism.
No they don’t. They are very selective in their information. When for example, do you read about any achievements by India during this Covid-19 crisis. ie the people who have recovered, the virus free zones, the production of Indian made PPE’s, kits, medicines and other items. Or any human interest stories like the full recovery of the 82 year old who was in dire straits at one time; the use of Indian trains as shelters, individuals who have given food to those in need and so on.
The analysis just touches the surface of the deep problem only.
There are more aspects to it than just no. of clicks or champagne socialists.
1. People of anti-India sentiment (i would say Pakistanis and western left-liberals of Columbia University type) have placed themselves in key locations of these publications. They do not allow adverse comments, articles to their partisan view get published. More importantly, they remain behind the curtains. To test this hypothesis, just try to put a negative comment on article or praising India with coherent and valid reasons and get it published in them.
2. The named op-ed writers are just hired mercenaries which they themselves do not realise to the harm they are causing to India. These mercenaries keep getting their compensatory awards, scholarships etc. They are awed by opportunity to have global readers which they don’t really deserve.
3. The deep-seated and fundamental reason is racism and Hinduphobia of Western countries. They do not want India to grow and take away resources meant only for these western ‘Exceptionalism’ countries.
4. Deutsche Welle is one more such sinister media.
So you claim that the articles published in these publications do not have any basis in Indian reality? Today’s India is being shaped by the mercenaries of Hindutva – the Mohan Bhagwats, Narendra Modis, Amit Shahs, Jayant Sinhas, Adityanaths and so on. They aren’t exactly the paragons of tolerance are they? And what is wrong in calling a spade a spade ? After all, the RSS from which the BJP derives its ideology was based on the Nazi and fascist ideologies of Hitler and Mussolini and the BJP implements a version of that same violent ideology. Indeed, your buddy Adityanath has suggested that the corpses of Muslim women should be pulled out and raped hasn’t he? So why get ashamed when people write about it ? Wht get upset that the UAE and the wider Islamic world threatens India economically?
You keep telling yourself that buddy
Why isn’t there any positive story from India during this epidemic, nor any acknowledgement of achievements of the government? Why is terrorism against India downplayed, while terrorism against the US, UK et al is considered the real thing?
I keep reading about this acheivements of India in pandemic? What exactly were they? Hundreds of millions left on the mercy of NGOs and individual Indians. A PM cares fund which is private and can’t be audited nor it’s constitution be checked by anyone. CSR funds can’t be given to state govts only central govt can receive it. Even today shortage of PPE . Test kits are still not available in enough numbers. Thousands emerged in bus stations, railway station multiple times in multiple cities. Poor who can’t feed themselves are asked to give 3 times train fare. RS 500 deposited in bank accounts not poor which most can’t access or know or remember to operate.
Casual handling of travellers before lock down with passengers made to wait more than 12 hours . Bodies of people who died of heart attacks in gulf forced to fly back as govt which gave permission couldn’t make or did not bother to tell the employees at airports receive the bodies. Doctors who died after years of social services denied cremation and burial in multiple states. Many patients dying because they spend days running from hospital to hospital. Please tell me the acheivements?
Take a look at the Indian media. Beside glorifying the current rulers and denigrating every one else, they don’t seem to have any other agenda. All that we read these days is state sponsored junk. Mercifully there are journalists who can still give unbiased reporting.
Vernon Oliver, it’s not good to glorify any party or government- whether the Congress, TMC, Janata Dal, SJP, BSP, CPI, AAP or BJP. And definitely not China
Under the circumstances, political economy, when great super power like USA, put Mr. Narendra Modi, our Hon. Prime Minister, as person non-grata and refused him diplomatic visa, which is sufficient to nullify the merits, authors are trying to hide all the facts, incidents, pogrom of Gujarat riots, and also promoting India in to a majoratarian state on the mandates of RSS, it’s think tank.
All viewers comprises of three major categories, viz. left wing; right wing and an unbiased class, which believes and expect any government should be hold on barriers and ambit of Constitution and taxpayers purview.
An ancient proverb on journalism, media could be helpful to all classes of pen, “There is no Tax on language”! (Arabic proverb).
The fact of the matter remains that democracies are defined by perceptions. We like it or not, India has become a hunting ground of liberal-haters because it is perceptibly and in reality become more polarized.
There is some grain of truth in what the author says. But the most significant truth in this article lies elsewhere. The truth is: For all democracies, opinions and perceptions matter most. It is definitely worth considering why only narratives of polarization are circulating about India in the Western press? Not because it’s a battle between the ‘experts’ and the ‘click-baiters’. The answer is not just that western media ‘prefers’ Modi haters but also how they see their own roles as champions of a secular modern value apparatus. Much of that is questionable of course because this self image is tied to the wider self notion of the Western media as a watchdog and vanguard of modern world.
Also, these media, in true colonial style, have an incredible sense of entitlement and accessibility toward India. They see India as an easy target to hit out at, for every vice on the planet.
Foreign media is being paid by Congress and company who has looted the treasury for a long time.The Congress party loves Muslims but cannot get elected so they find foreigners to spread lies.
This is a remarkable article. Not because of the content. The content is just rambling opinion. But the thought process. Don’t be fooled by the absence of the names such as Arnab G, Sudhir C, and other govt sponsored and protected people. Sure, it tells you what the right wing intellectuals are talking as learning. But the real sneaky things is another trick that the article plays. It tries to create an equivalence between a stalwart such a Guha and the rabid, bigoted, govt propagandist.
He tries to bring Guha, Roy, who have criticized everyone in the past, to the level of partisan bootlicking done by Arnab and others!
Those writers like Guha and Arundhati Roy are rabid propagandists against India, Modi and Hindus. Roy hasn’t acknowledged one achievement of the Indian government in this covid-19 outbreak. Arnab Goswami does have guests on his show who take a counter position, and they have their say. But he trounces them all. Also, ‘government protected people’ can easily be used to describe the cabal of Leftists, Communists and Secularists( so called) who dominated and controlled the discourse in India for decades. Well, their day is passed, or at least way down.
I wonder why Arundhati’s opinion matters to the West? She is a book-writer for God’s sake.
Bang on, each and every point is so well explained.They are not journalist,the likes of Swatis and Ranas are agenda driven women working for themselves at the cost of malignning country’s name.They will be go down the dust soon.
The writer is a victim of his own mind. The RW will hardly understand what he is trying to say (except for the Modi reference) and the Left-Libs will never invite him to their fun champagne parties. Rana knows her audience, and her audience knows her. And she is also smart. The writer however is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and quite lonely as well. General public doesnt give teo hoots anyway!
Yea, and your “general public” gave the largest mandate to current govt. Lets ask again who’s living in cuckoo land .
Aw, don’t be blinded by the loneliness of Rana which in itself, is a by product of losing one’s own conscience and making victims out of the common man for absolute monetary benefits.
But aren’t we all victims of our own mind? You seem to have a lot of disdain for the “RW”.
The author ‘researcher’ should also scratch his brain further to explain why the mighty STATE apparatus – that unabashedly pounds select HR /Opposition targets mercilessly – is not ACTING against all the writers demonized here for spreading lies and falsehood against the ‘true patriots’
Because of articles like this – full of sound-n-fury, devoid of facts and laced with personal bias – signifying nothing. If the right-of-centre was able to put up a reasonable intellectual response instead of propaganda and trolling, a lot of people would have listened.
Good one, Rana!
Hail Macbeth!
Have ‘Dhairya’ to declare yourself…
It gives a strength to what you write. But, unfortunately, you are away from the truth.
You think lot of people are not listening? :O
No he, Iyer-Mitra, makes several legitimate, and correct, observations. The proof that the Washington Post asks for any Indian claim, versus the absence for a claim made by Rana Ayyub. Secondly, and this is a particularly erudite point, the international media like the WP, NY Times, BBC, Guardian, Huffington et al, do not go to India seeking answers, or to do rigorous research, rather they seek confirmation of their pre-conceived notions and biases.
Stop lecturing as Anonymous i.e. fake. Even rats don’t like to be Anonymous.
Intellectual response to writing of likes of Rana Ayub? There is nothing other than agenda and propaganda in her writing.
Its called an “opinion” piece idiot.
A comment so full of facts and wisdom.
Agree totally. No one is speaking up for Hindus in an intelligent way. Instead we are getting endless articles in the West that are increasingly not distinguishing between Hindus in general and the rioters and rabid, cow-urine-drinking idiots. Various Indian Muslim and left-wing writers have declared war on Hindus. Forget NYT, even Nikkei Asia and Wired magazines now have the same sort of articles that highlight only violence and superstition among Hindus. These articles are intentionally written in a way that does not distinguish between ordinary devout Hindus and the extremists. What would be the reaction in the West if every devout Muslim was to be called a jihadi? The fact that Modi & Co. have run the Indian economy into the ground doesn’t get any respect for India or Hindus either. Modi’s tenure has only gone to show the intellectual poverty of the right-wing in India. Over the past 6 years, India’s standing in the world has taken a deep nosedive.
Bull’S EYE
Just plain bull would be more apt.
This man is as partisan as the people he excoriates. The fact is that the Modi Government supports the RSS which is obviously and undeniably anti-Muslim. And to Mr. Iyer-Mitra that is an initiative worthy of his support.
The article is not about what a political party or a NGO thinks about religion of peace . Its about how leftist are detached from reality .
Why are muslim enrollment in RSS schools increasing every year then?
Yeah, Mitra is just another hack who resorts to whataboutery, as you said, just like the partisan ‘journalists’ he’s against.
And he wants journalists to take information from Heritage? The right wing think tank behind all American wars? And Mitra is a fellow at the Institure of Peace and Conflict Studies!
This man is totally full of waste.
Indians have a voter card and they know whom to vote. Rest doesn’t matter. Let them malign India’s image in the extreme hatred of one man but public know how to press the EVM button.
The EVM button itself knows how to get pressed.
It was IMPOSSIBLE for the BJP to win UP so soon after the Demonetization, and that too with such numbers.
But hasn’t the BJP lost elections in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh? Were the EVMs tampered with then? As for the 30-35% vote, that’s true of all parties that have won elections. Just because a party you don’t like benefits from the 30-35% vote, doesn’t make it illegitimate. Cheap, silly argument
But what if the EVM itself is tampered ?
I wonder why the EVM is only suspected of being tampered when BJP wins an election?
36% halfwits voted this regime in. Just 36% are brainless bhats.
How do you know it responds correctly.
The foreign media bias is not something new. Correspondents of foreign media houses seem to have used the mask on their eyes instead of mouth and nose during the current fight against COVID-19.
Most of the arguments of the author are weak, not sustainable.
5 years back the same western media was gung-ho on Modi & expressed high hopes on him to lead India to a bright future. Their views have changed to disappointment. It is not just US & British media, even DW, Nikkei, Al Jazira are no different.
It is not just Rana whom author has picked up selectively. There are plenty of others who write in international media. Ashutosh Varshney, Salil Tripathi, Sadanand Dhume, Sonali Ranade, AshokSwain, Pankaj Mishra, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Barkha Dutt, Shashi Tharoor, Milan Varshney, Samar Harlankar ,..BJP has a severe shortage of such intellectuals who can sell their view.
India has not only world famous journalists but global economists like Kaushik Basu, Nobel laurette Amartya Sen, Raghuram Rajan, Arvind Pangarhia, Gita Gopinath Arvind Subramaniam- none seems an admirer of Modi government. A few of these run away from positions in Modi government.
‘’ cheaper opinions will always be prioritised over expensive facts.’’ True in general but less true for some who have relatively higher credibility & hence respected world over. They are mostly in democratic capitalistic western world. These are the media this author is targeting, ignoring the pro government sold media at home. Also remember, governments including Indian government spend a lot of money lobbying in USA, UNO,…so money for propaganda should not be problem for governments.
Claim of a sovereign government (like Balakot) is a far more serious than claim of an individual journalist like Rana Ayyub, hence needs a lot more scrutiny by any serious media.
Courts need conclusive legal proof, which journalists like Rana Ayyub cannot provide, particularly against powerful politicians who can manage witnesses & enforcement agencies. In a court, a guilty is innocent till proven guilty, does not mean he is definitely innocent. On the other hand, honest journalist try tobring out what politician try to hide even if it cannot be proven in court. If he/ she peddles fake news against a politician, he/ she certainly risk of being arrested/charged for the same. Ever otherwise he/ she risks being harassed for some other cooked charges. US media has been attacking President Trump most viciously though nothing could be / will be proven in court. However the democratic institutions in USA are more strong in USA which gives media the courage.
Just taking on the Balakot reference for now( and ignoring your other remarks) the ridiculous claim in some media was that the Indian Air Force only hit trees. But the IAF dropped between 5-12 bombs, even if all of them missed,, they wouldn’t leave dents on trees. There would be large craters or mounds. Where are the remnants of the bombs? They’re in Balakot, in that compound that was obliterated from within. The structure itself was not demolished( which is the argument the nay sayers use), but the inhabitants, between 300-500 were killed. Terrorists and fundamentalists of the JEM.
I do not understand your argument. Who is that ‘some media’ that said Indian Air Force ‘only hit trees’, who are the so called naysayers? You post does not provide their names . You may ignore them & read only credible media. Strategic institute of Australia analysed satellite pictures of large fresh crates & concluded that all targets were missed by same distance, indicating a technical error. They noticed fresh craters or mounds. Indian politicians claimed 300 plus causalities without any supporting evidence which you believe & repeat the number as 300-500. Social media showed in India large no of bodies & claimed them to be the Balakot catch which when investigated by fact checkers were found to be an old earth quake victim photo from Pakistan.
The strikes killed hundreds, while leaving the building intact. Pakistan shot down an Indian plane, that was part of a small contingent that successfully thwarted any Pakistani damage against India. The INDIAN AIR FORCE( not just the government) has 100% confirmed the success. So has an Italian journalist. It’s not just about Modi, it’s about India’s need to retaliate. Don’t make everything into party politics.
The physics of those bombs itself refutes the Pakistani and BBC/Reuters et al positions. The Spice-2000 bombs the IAF dropped would not leave craters. They would penetrate the earth, and throw up large mounds of earth. So whatever those craters were( probably explosives testing by the terrorists), they were not the result of missed IAF bombs.
Mr Varun Shekha: That is garbage and propaganda dished out to you by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar media outlets. The Balakot strikes were unnecessary and were carried out mainly for electoral purposes and to bolster Modi’s chances of winning the 2019 elections. What si worse, they also revealed many of India’s inherent military weaknesses.
Here si the scorecard for jingoists like you:
– The strikes killed nbobody and did no damage
– Pakistan shot down an Indian plane and captured the pilot
– The IAF indulged in frinedly fire and shot down one of its own helicopters.
Indeed, independent observers and defence analysts from NATO countries debunk much of that Modi propaganda. Not that facts matter for people of your ilk …
False. Three independent Indian TV channels confirmed the success of the strikes. The IAF have certified it. An independent Italian journalist lady says there were definitely major casualties in Balakot
Excellent piece! Keep it up….and thanks a lot!
Champagne (and caviar) socialists and liberals are a real problem. It is they who have allowed the rise of the distorted avatar of the Right Wing – of which the author is a leading example – to a degree where RW is used as a pejorative whereas it was once a viable vibrant and constructive ideology.
At a time of crisis when the RW should have shown us with action how they are infinitely superior to the lefties and the liberals, they are blundering about and MSM both in India and West will naturally highlight these shenanigans. So shoot the messenger especially the Western media because their validation is what the Indian RW really craves and throws a tantrum when denied.
Dhume will be disappointed that he did not make it to list of author;s favorite think tank people – might it have something to do with the fact that he turned from ardent Modi fan to critic.
Since this avatar of the RW suffers from a deep and persistent inferiority complex, most of the author’s faux intellectual superiority is spent trying to gaslight the readers – his favorite “experts” can only be understood by the technically minded, the masses are dumb. Then the usual trope of Khan Market gang – how unoriginal. The irony of a glorified shock jock masquerading as a serious commentator lamenting the death of nuance and importance given to extremist viewpoints is downright hilarious.
India’s image and soft power have taken a battering because of missteps, incompetence and hubris of this govt and its supporters. Much worse is yet to come and no amount of deflecting the blame on agendas, conspiracies and other blah will save the Indian RW. You wanted polarisation, you got it. Now deal with the downsides.
Useless and baseless article no stuff but seems like a bhakt rather than a journalist or a writer. People of india don’t get influenced by any foreign media so better be quite take your prize from your bosses and out.
There is neither any coherent nuance nor any genuine facts to support your what can be clearly called as a rant. truth is bitter my friend. Foreign media does what it does. everyone works with an agenda and vested interest.There is nothing called unbiased media. in the whole rant except for the fact that the GOI gives importance to westernmedia’s opinions.there is nothing substantial to refute the claims of the author. It only shows that You are deeply offended because he attacked what you consider to be sacred or pious.
Its true that there are a certain hiccups in handling of this pandemic. Obviously it could have been handled better. But again the PM is surrounded by bureaucrats and he relies on them heavily. He doesn’t use of his ministers for feedback as he relies on bureaucracy for that too. That is a major flaw. Its quite easy to throw a wide range of incoherent and mutually incompatible plans and solutions at the govt and foul mouthing it for not implementing them as if they can order the govt. Govt has its own restrictions, economical restrictions we cant just go ahead and print money. we are not USA.
Coming to India’s soft power, clearly u get your info from these champagne journos. People focus more on the optics. You may like it or not optics shape peoples opinions. its true that there may be ppl who take these champagne socialists seriously. but again the whole world and media are heavily polarized as pointed in the article. You cant please everyone at the sametime. Moreover nobody gives a damn about what they publish. They failed to influence their own countries election. Lets not give them and their whiteman’s burden undue importance. Peace
cleverly you start the comment with LeLI bashing , but the crux and the end especially typically reeks of “Champagne (and caviar) socialists and liberals” left idoelogy stench !!!!
The leftist “champions” of justice are too coward to even call out the unfairness of 370 for what it was. They’d rather play appeasement games and let thousands die till eternity than get called islamophobes . But oh no , everywhere else? “We care about women and LGBTQ rights uwah!”. Screw that kind of political correctness .
Ah yes, same old “everything is nazi, islamophobe ,bigotry” mumbo jumbo the western left has been pedalling. Thanks to fools like you all, RW keeps winning elections around the world. Don’t presume yourself to be “I’m not with either one of them”. You are .And they call you a c*ck out there.
Exact opposite of what you said and that would be the exact truth, well done my friend for turning your head exactly 180degress.
A very fine article. Catches the thoughts of people who read anti India leftist/islamist(who are very subtle in their approach) foreign press feeded by anti modi and anti bjp (only because bjp takes few aspects of our culture seriously) propaganda animals masquerading as journalists..
They need to singled out and their faces needed to be shown to public.
Very true, but author himself appears awed of these left wing media outlets and exaggerates their influence over indian minds.
Narendra Modi is doing well in political matters but abysmally in economic arena and that will decide his fate in 2024. Even his supporters need jobs/opportunity. That is what counts and not testimonials/certificates from any left wing or right wing analyst.
What a wonderful article!
Please add Sadanand Dhume to the list of working gang of the foreign press.
The champagne socialists, as you call them, have something else apart from the ability to write good english. They have a good back story, or a unique point of view or a body of work that gives them credibility. Just the ability to craft grammatically correct sentences and a coherent paragraph is not sufficient . You do have a unique point of view but now your view has become mainstream. Mainstream is boring.
Don’t think you realize what mainstream is .
The interest of reading papers is devindeled due to biased reporting and low level reporting. So called journalists always bring “freedom” freedom of speech and religions. Ayyub type can never understand what freedom is for none muslims. I dont want to bring religion into it, thede broadsheets are one sided money oriented lie spreaders. Because west and US are interested keeping Pakistan on their way geographically opperesser ali, the press will never give news in favor of India. Modi is kicked left right and centre by Muslims paper jeorneolist always take anti Modi side
Modi trying to save India from becoming Muslim country helped by Arabs. West is already gone that way.
What credibility does Rana Ayyub have?
Iyerval,
Although the reasons you cited are true, but they have no significance.
Two significant reasons are
A. International papers (Authors, Editors) are not part of the Indian class system. While Indian Andh Bhakth benefit themselves by writing Pro Modi article.
B. As of now, present govt has not invested in buying international media houses. May be the current cost overweigh the benefits.
But author’s grievance is genuine. Western media by and large represent the same classes in their countries that are trying to keep dominance here. Hence some kind of support was called for.
The Western media is very colonial, condescending and presumptuous with respect to India. Criticism is fine, but it should be incisive and balanced, something that makes you sit up and say “That was very well expressed and researched”.
Brilliant