[Strutting in a Rs. 10 lakh (?) golden Namabali suit in the close proximity of the then US President Barack Obama, was closely followed by the near-complete wash out in Delhi assembly election. (Apparently, the tag - 'Suit Boot ki Sarkar', stuck.) Soon after the persistent, but eventually dropped, attempts to scrap the land acqusition act to favour the state and the moneybags came the resounding defeat in Bihar. (Of course, there was a Mahagathbandhan.)
The astute politician that Modi is, triggered a change of tack - limited in substance but powerful in terms of propaganda blitz. The symbolic watershed moment being the much, and justifiablly so, reviled demonetisation. That put across a pro-poor, anti-rich and anti-corrupt image of Modi - sort of a new, refurbished Modi, pretty much effectively. Quite a few other measure have followed. Loan waiver for (a major section of) UP farmers is just one. Simultaneously, going on the rampage by Gau Rakshaks, Anti-Romeo brigades etc. And the "Nationalist" edge is further sharpened in the aggressive postures vis-a-vis Pakistan, and also China. (The latest claim of "punitive strikes" across the LoC, award for Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi and boycott of BRI forum in China are just three illustrative examples.) All at the same time, rises a menacing surveillance state, under the cover and through the instrument of Aadhhaar, even if this chilling dimension remains almost, though not altogether, unnoticed. Going on, hand in hand, is the further intensification of attacks on all dissenters/opponents, using the various arms of the state - the CBI (and ED), in particular. This particular aspect has been quite aptly captured by the noted economist, and social activist/commentator, Jean Dreze in the following words: "The Aadhaar Bill opens the door to mass surveillance. This danger needs to be seen in the light of recent attacks on the right to dissent. No other country, and certainly no democratic country, has ever held its own citizens hostage to such a powerful infrastructure of surveillance." (Ref.: <http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/jean-dreze-on-aadhaar-mass-surveillance-data-collection/article8352912.ece>.) The most recent raids on the NDTV is the latest act in this unfolding spine-chilling saga. The following, scathing and informed (editorial), intervention by an English newspaper with a global reach and considerable repute is, for that very reason, is highly welcome and also commendable.] https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/opinion/india-freedom-of-press-narendra-modi.html?emc=edit_tnt_20170607&nlid=50706049&tntemail0=y&referer=android-app%3A%2F%2Fcom.google.android.gm EDITORIAL India’s Battered Free Press Journalists outside the home of Prannoy Roy of NDTV on Monday, after it was raided by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation. BURHAAN KINU / HINDUSTAN TIMES, VIA GETTY IMAGES By THE EDITORIAL BOARD JUNE 7, 2017 Press freedom in India suffered a fresh blow on Monday when the country’s main investigative agency raided homes and offices connected to the founders of NDTV, India’s oldest television news station. The raids mark an alarming new level of intimidation of India’s news media under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The story is a bit tangled, but here’s the gist: The Central Bureau of Investigation says it conducted the raids because of a complaint that NDTV’s founders had caused “an alleged loss” to ICICI, a private bank, related to repayment of a loan. In 2009, ICICI said the note had been paid in full. Not really, the investigators said: A reduction in the interest rate had saddled the bank with a loss — hence the raid. That doesn’t wash. India’s large corporations regularly default on debt with nary a peep from authorities. In fact, even as India’s state-owned banks are holding bad debt of about $186 billion, Mr. Modi’s government has hesitated to go after big defaulters. But suddenly we have dramatic raids against the founders of an influential media company — years after a loan was settled to a private bank’s satisfaction. To Mr. Modi’s critics, the inescapable conclusion is that the raids were part of a “vendetta” against NDTV. Since Mr. Modi took office in 2014, journalists have faced increasing pressures. They risk their careers — or lives — to report news that is critical of the government or delves into matters that powerful politicians and business interests do not want exposed. News outlets that run afoul of the government can lose access to officials. The temptation to self-censor has grown, and news reports are increasingly marked by a shrill nationalism that toes the government line. Through all this, NDTV has remained defiant. Last year, its Hindi-language station was ordered off the air for a day as punishment for reporting on a sensitive attack on an air base, but it stood by its reporting, insisting that it was based on official briefings. Praveen Swami, a reporter for The Indian Express newspaper, warned on Twitter that Monday’s raids were “a defining moment,” adding: “The last time this sort of thing happened was during the Emergency,” a reference to the strict censorship of 1975-77 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency and ruled as an autocrat. Sadly, Mr. Swami’s warning is warranted. The Central Bureau of Investigation said on Tuesday that it “fully respects the freedom of press.” Even if that’s true, the question still outstanding is whether Mr. Modi does. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
