For the last two years since Mr Modi won the Loksabha elections, self styled opinion makers in the media like Rajdeep Sardesai, Rahul Kanwal, Barkhadutt, Nidhi Razdan and several others were hounding Modi and Mr Amit Shah. As both stonewalled the media and went about their work, the media stalwarts slowly were getting tired.
Now in a master stroke, Modi has simply redirected the attention of the media to Mr Yogi Adityanath. Along with the media, the politicians in the Congress and Communists also have now re-set their guns on Mr Yogi Adithynath instead of Mr Modi. At best, Modi is only a secondary target. This will provide some relief to Mr Modi even while Yogi needs to face the heat on his past statements which are being taken out of the archives of the TV studios.
Mr Yogi has been so far not providing any new controversial statements to the media and media has to only find something in his activities which they can call as “Controversial”.
Media is seriously discussing how many cows are there in Gorakhpur Mutt and what is the name of the Bull and who takes care of it etc. I am enjoying watching and listening to frustrated tones of these journalists in trying to some how rake up the old Videos of Mr Yogi and keep asking questions.
The first administrative decision on which the media has now chosen to start its battle is the “Ramayan Museum” proposed in Ayodhya.
This is a project completely different from the Ram Mandir and has the potential of softening the hardliners espousing the immediate building of the Ram Mandir.
The project has the potential to be a great tourism attraction when it comes up when a theme park where tourists can live through the Ramayana story can be built up.
There is no religious controversy in this project and media is trying to find one by saying why this is one of the first projects of Mr Yogi?
In the process of this Yogi bashing, the media is losing more of its waning credibility and by 2019, they would be so frustrated that many of the senior journalists of today including Mr Rajdeep Sardesai may find it difficult to remain relevant.
In the interest of the need to have a vibrant media, it is essential for the journalists to leave their negative reporting and turn to positive reporting about Mr Yogi and his work. Then after some time when Mr Yogi really makes a mistake and the media points it out, public may give some credence. Otherwise the traditional media will become irrelevant in no time.
Mr Rajdeep…are you listening?
V N Rao
