It’s extremely rare for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to to be number two. But that is exactly what has happened over the last few days: in the media, the opposition parties’ idea of INDIA overshadowed the PM’s vision of a ‘new’ India.
Notice that the Opposition has regained some (serious) space in the media, making lead headlines across newspapers, TV and digital. And marvel of marvels, appeared on the Arnab Goswami show Republic TV’s ‘The Debate’, which almost never happens.
Question: is this a political reality check for the media — particularly television news — or does it also indicate the influence of money? Let’s say it’s a bit of both – the media does reflect the current direction of politics, and financial muscle power.
Like BJP state governments, opposition parties in power too advertise generously in the media. Example: the Congress government in Karnataka had a full page 1 advertisement in mainstream English newspapers, Wednesday. Congress governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan do the same — on TV too. The AAP government in Punjab advertises across TV news all the time — including on channels such as Republic TV, which never hides its disdain for opposition parties. This week, AAP’s latest TVC lauded its free power scheme in the state and was seen everywhere.
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Headlines that stole the thunder
The media’s renewed interest in the Opposition is despite its strenuous efforts to maintain a delicate balance between the ruling NDA and the newly-minted Opposition alliance, in what India Today called ‘super…political thriller’.
Between Monday and Tuesday, there was a distinct shift of focus in the reporting on the ‘meeting v/s meeting’ (Times Now) held by the Opposition in Bengaluru and the NDA in New Delhi. What had been described as ‘Modi ya Mahagathbandhan’ by India TV on Monday became ‘NDA v/s INDIA’ on TV9 Bharatvarsh (and many other news channels) by Tuesday afternoon when the opposition coalition was formally called ‘INDIA’.
India TV may have nastily asked, ‘New name plate for hate Modi?’ And Republic TV may have dismissed the acronym as an effort to “drop UPA legacy” of corruption, but that didn’t change the headlines – ‘INDIA v/s Modi (NDTV 24×7), ‘BJP v/s INDIA’ (News 24) were powerful, catchy and emotionally-charged headlines that stole the thunder from the NDA meeting Tuesday evening.
News channels tried to spin the news in favour of the BJP — ‘A larger NDA rising’, said India Today and numbers were cited to back up the claim — ‘NDA 38 v/s Opposition 26,’ said NDTV 24×7.
Split screens showed the Opposition press conference in Bengaluru and the NDA welcome committee waiting outside the Ashoka Hotel in Delhi to greet leaders. Channels such as Times Now Navbharat, ABP News, and Republic Bharat didn’t cover INDIA’s press briefing at all. Nor did DD News – although, it did debate the developments, later.
Before we get to the TV debates, let’s fast forward to Wednesday’s newspapers, which aimed for a balancing act.
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What the papers said
The fact that the Opposition is beginning to share headlines with PM Modi and BJP, is the big story. This is not what we’re accustomed to – usually, Modi and his government stand head and shoulders ahead of all the other parties.
However, Wednesday, the photographs said everything: The Indian Express displayed the Opposition above the NDA: ‘To counter NDA, Opp unites to float INDIA’, read its headline. The Hindu’s lead photo was of the Opposition meeting, only, under the headline, ‘Opposition’s team INDIA to take on NDA in poll’. The NDA assembly was the paper’s second lead with the garlanding of Modi as the visual.
Modi the second lead, behind the Opposition. That makes for a change.
Hindustan Times gave equal space to both political gatherings under a banner headline that avoided mentioning either by name — ‘Stage set for battle of alliances’, it stated. Very diplomatic.
Reports and analysis and opinion in these newspapers charted the difficulties ahead for the opposition alliance but INDIA was definitely the scene — and screen __stealer. ‘For INDIA to win India’ read the headline to the lead comments piece in The Times of India.
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INDIA, keep the media interested
What the formation of INDIA has done, coincidentally, is to tilt the balance of debates on TV. It’s no longer a binary showdown between the BJP/Centre and Congress. Now, other political parties, especially from the Opposition benches, are regulars at prime time.
This is the other big change for the Opposition. On the same talk show, it gets to speak in several different voices, but with the same objective: ‘26 parties’ one Modi hatao agenda’, explained India Today.
Here are some telling examples — On Times Now, Tuesday at 9 pm, there were representatives from BJP, Congress, TMC, DMK, AAP and JD(U) — that’s a lot of Opposition spokespersons on one show.
News India Tuesday featured BJP, Congress, AAP, Samajwadi Party — that’s 3 to 1 for the Opposition. BJP, Congress, JD(U) and NCP were on DD News, CNN News 18’s ‘Plain Speak’ had BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and a relative newcomer to TV, JJP – Jannayak Janta Party, an ally of BJP that’s 50:50 between the NDA and INDIA.
All this media exposure will gladden the hearts of the Opposition – at least momentarily. But they shouldn’t be overjoyed: the PM will continue to be the media’s darling. It’s up to INDIA to keep the media interested.
For that they need the wiles and charms of Seema Haider, the Pakistani who slipped into India, married her PUBG beloved Samir Meena and is now the subject of intense media speculation: ‘Who is Seema Haider: Cross Border lover or Pakistani spy?’ asked Hindustan Times.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)