Undiluted Adulation

The Prime Minister gets the media's undivided attention, except when the BJP or the government has suffered a setback

- Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

IN May 2023, NDTV, one of India’s leading TV news channels, broadcast a documentary series titled ‘9 Years of PM Modi,’ in both English and Hindi. The docuseries covered a range of topics, from diplomacy and women empowerment to infrastructure development, peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir and digital India. The tone was eulogising. The announcement said, “the series captures his (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s) contribution to shaping the India story.”

It showed how “women empowerment became a hallmark of PM Modi’s governance” and “welfare schemes have been a hallmark of his administration.” Modi’s appeal asking people to visit Kashmir “appears to have had a profound impact” in increasing tourist footfall, showed the episode on Jammu and Kashmir.

There was no critical voice. Without the logo of the channel, it would have been difficult to tell whether it was a promotional series produced by the government or a media docuseries. Although all the episodes featured beneficiaries of welfare schemes and experts praising schemes and policies, the central figure was Modi—no other person in the government or administration mattered.

In May last year, CNN-News 18, too, streamed a show “Nine Years of PM Modi: A Look at India’s Meteoric Rise.” It featured pro-government experts describing how Modi has “made India a key stakeholder in global affairs.” Modi was described as “a strong leader who is confident in the presence of some of the most powerful leaders in the world.”