Remote Mindset

[someone]

It was in 2005 that I had my first brush with the dangers that confront every beat journalist covering the Congress party. An electoral verdict that year had given the NDA the numbers in the Jharkhand Assembly. Yet, Sonia Gandhi’s handpicked Governor Syed Sibte Razi had invited the Congress-backed Shibu Soren to form the state government and given him nearly 20 days to prove his majority—which was enough time to cobble together a government by means both fair and foul. Razi’s constitutional impropriety came in for withering criticism from both the opposition and media, with even the Supreme Court stepping in to advance the date for the confidence vote. But just as criticism mounted, word went around that Sonia Gandhi was ‘unhappy’ with the Jharkhand Governor (the ‘unhappy’ High Command later shifted him to Assam, where he was subsequently fired after the CBI booked his Jharkhand staff for corruption). But this new ‘angle’ had passed me by, though most of my other reporter colleagues had already changed track. Just as I was gearing up for another ‘live’ report from in front of Mrs Gandhi’s residence, my boss literally stood before me and ordered me to spin the story around ‘Sonia is unhappy’ as a theme. I was left with little choice. Sonia had not issued a statement. Yet the story had irrevocably changed. The next morning, even the print media was full of the same spin. I realised what I should have known earlier: for the beat reporter, it is simply not possible to exercise independent judgement while covering such events. The person on the ground does not shape the news, at least not in the TV broadcast media. Stories impacting Sonia’s image are carefully choreographed right at the top, at the level of promoters and editors who are on first-name terms with key Congress functionaries such as Ahmed Patel. But Patel, the consummate spin doctor, also has a line with beat reporters; they need each other in the demanding 24x7 news cycle where a single ‘untutored’ line could damage the Congress President’s image. It is a tradeoff that works well for both. While the lowly reporter can impress his bosses by claiming he has knowledge of closely-held developments, Patel gets to ensure that Sonia’s image remains unsullied. And if you work for a friendly channel and scrupulously adhere to the rules of the game, he could spring a surprise or two by gracing your marriage celebrations—not alone but with Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. Recently, to the utter surprise of journalist colleagues, both made an appearance at the marriage celebrations of a ‘lowly’ Congress beat reporter, whose stock was sent soaring among his network bosses. It has also assured him plum reporting options, including (maybe) a trip with the PM on his next foreign visit. When it comes to reporting on the Gandhis, this is precisely how much of the electronic media functions. At the prominent TV network where I worked covering the Congress party, there was a whole army of ‘Congress reporters’. Some reported in the mornings and afternoons (‘downtime’), while others only reported in the evenings (‘primetime’). ‘Insignificant’ low-impact reporters like this writer were simply prised out of the field without any notice, especially if a ‘big’ story had to be covered. But this was not all. There were those who were handpicked to report Congress Working Committee meetings and special occasions like an All India Congress Committee (AICC) session. I was not sent to cover the Hyderabad AICC session in January 2006 despite Congress being my ‘prime’ beat. I was given no reason; only a mail arrived from my editor by way of information to the bureau. Finally, there were those who filed field reports from Amethi and Rae Bareilly with some of the stories even finding their way onto the Congress website. I covered the party for over a year, but was never allowed to report from either of the constituencies. Once again, I was given no reason for this. Eventually, I was shifted off that beat. A mail arrived one fine day saying that my beat had been changed. The chief of bureau, who I have no reason to doubt, later told me that she really fought hard to retain me as a Congress reporter. But the editors would not listen, and she was given no reason for the switch. If they had said I was incompetent, it would have been another matter, but they did not. Nothing has changed over the years, my friends and colleagues on that beat tell me. At the end of the day, if there was no ‘Ahmedbhai’, the Congress would have to invent him, if only to spin doctor the ‘news’. That’s because the party’s first family is an anachronism in the age of modern media. The Gandhis remain remote and inaccessible. http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/remote-mindset

If anyone ever had to give a person's name for India's problems, these would be the winner.

[Sachin=GOD]

how about your dear leader NaMo? :winky: He is also famous for living behind a veil of secrecy and he also has many people managing his image (be it his PR Agency or the Narendra Modi fan clubs etc) and like the Gandhis, access to Modi is given only to those media persons who will give favourable coverage or those who won't ask uncomfortable questions - if they do ask such questions then Modi will walk off (like he did in Karan Thapar's show :laugh ).

[FischerTal]

how about your dear leader NaMo? :winky: He is also famous for living behind a veil of secrecy and he also has many people managing his image (be it his PR Agency or the Narendra Modi fan clubs etc) and like the Gandhis, access to Modi is given only to those media persons who will give favourable coverage or those who won't ask uncomfortable questions - if they do ask such questions then Modi will walk off (like he did in Karan Thapar's show :laugh ).

so fan clubs of his supporters is a plan of his to manage his image. :giggle: lage raho

[Sachin=GOD]

so fan clubs of his supporters is a plan of his to manage his image. :giggle: lage raho

dude, the Narendra Modi fan club has been organizing meetings in various cities and is working overtime to turn people's opinion on social media in his favour.

[FischerTal]

dude' date=' the Narendra Modi fan club has been organizing meetings in various cities and is working overtime to turn people's opinion on social media in his favour.[/quote'] so thats one club. there are many on twitter too with no connection to Modi. Are they part of his PR team too?

[ganeshran]

Paid Media :orderorder:

[Sachin=GOD]

so thats one club. there are many on twitter too with no connection to Modi. Are they part of his PR team too?

Here's something for you: Modi’s Fan Club in Uttar Pradesh

While the BJP dithers over a formal decision on its prime ministerial candidate, preparations have begun to make Narendra Modi’s claim even more insistent. The next step in his ascent within the BJP is aimed at gaining a special stature in Uttar Pradesh as an individual leader, much as he has in Gujarat. In UP, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, this operation is not to be carried out by any of the known Hindutva outfit, but by an informal organisation that has been working solely on the promotion of Modi’s image as an individual, one who happens to be Chief Minister of Gujarat. It is called the Narendra Modi Fans Club (NMFC), a grouping that Modi himself has nurtured assiduously over the past few years in his home state, and is ready to expand itself across UP. “Narendra Bhai asked me to begin work in UP,†says Khursheed Suma, all-India convener of the NMFC. Recounting the brief-though- firm instructions he was given in Ahmedabad by the Gujarat CM on 24 February, he says, “I didn’t want to go [away from] Gujarat, and I told him this, but he said it won’t help if it is done by a Hindu, ‘So you do it’.†Suma’s meeting with Modi took place on the last day of a three-day workshop that was attended by newly elected MLAs and important BJP leaders of Gujarat. That day, Modi had held a one-and-a-half- hour interaction with these leaders, giving them lessons on time management and the qualities of a politician. Suma met Modi on the sidelines of that workshop, and the CM said that BJP Vice- president Purushottam Rupala, a close aide of his, would facilitate the effort in UP. “Since then,†says Suma, “almost every week I talk to Rupalaji on how we should proceed on organising the Modi Fans Club in various parts of Uttar Pradesh.†+++ A 26-year-old resident of Rajkot and geography graduate of Saurashtra University, Suma says the NMFC was formed in 2005 but picked up in the last three years once it got Rupala’s patronage. “Initially, the organisation was called ‘Shri Narendra Bhai Modi Fans Club’, but later Rupala changed its name to ‘Narendra Modi Fans Club’,†says Suma, “That was also the time when he made me its all-India convener and Kashyap Shukla (a local BJP leader) its chairman.†Though the NMFC has units in almost every district of Gujarat, it is particularly strong in Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Junagarh, Jamnagar, Surat and Vadodara. “Before the last Assembly election, our organisation played an important role in mobilising the youth, especially those of the Muslim community, in support of Narendra Bhai,†says Suma, a Muslim himself. So highly did Modi and Rupala appreciate the NMFC’s efforts that its chairman Kashyap Shukla was fielded as a BJP candidate from Rajkot in Gujarat’s recent Assembly polls. Shukla, however, lost the election. According to Suma, the NMFC will start getting its unit in Lucknow up and running next month. “We have been asked to concentrate initially on Lucknow. We will then organise the youth, both Hindus and Muslims, in other districts of the state,†he says, adding that the setting up of NMFC units in various districts of UP would be followed by a rally to be addressed by Modi in Lucknow. “We are told that the rally would be the beginning of Narendra Bhai’s campaign for the next Lok Sabha election,†he says. The UP expansion idea has assumed urgency in the last few weeks, but it first took shape around the middle of November last year, even before Modi’s triumphant return to power in Gandhinagar (a foregone conclusion, though, as many in the BJP saw it). Lalji Tandon, the BJP’s Lucknow MP, wrote a letter to Rupala informing him of the NMFC’s plans for his constituency. ‘Narendra Modi Fans Club has been constituted in Lucknow. This body plans to organise a meeting of Shri Narendra Modiji,’ says Tandon’s letter, dated 18 November, requesting Rupala to arrange Modi’s Lucknow visit. Though Rupala promptly forwarded the letter to Modi as well as Kursheed Suma, no action could be taken since they were preoccupied with the Gujarat polls. Once things started settling down, however, and Modi began working on his strategy to enhance his appeal beyond Gujarat, the issue was revived and Suma instructed to get the UP operation going. “I have had several rounds of telephonic talks with Lalji Tandon, Kalraj Mishra and Neeraj Gupta (a Lucknow-based BJP leader) after Narendra Bhai gave a green signal to organise the Modi Fans Club in Lucknow and other parts of UP, and Rupalaji took the initiative into his own hands,†says Suma. It is no secret that the Sangh Parivar sees UP as a communal cauldron that could be stirred to the BJP’s electoral benefit by the Gujarat Chief Minister. Modi also appears aware of his ability to stir up support in India’s largest state. It could not only polarise votes decisively in favour of the BJP, but also act as a unifying force for the party. In addition, Modi, by selling the so-called ‘Gujarat model of development’, could also help the party gain a sizeable chunk of middle- class votes. The proposed move would be a significant departure from the 2011 UP Assembly polls, when the state BJP was apprehensive of inviting Modi to campaign there for fear of losing secular Hindu votes. For the next general election, both Modi and the Sangh Parivar know that UP results could make or mar their prospects of reclaiming power at the Centre. Presently, the BJP is in complete disarray in UP. In the 2004 and 2009 general elections, it won 10 seats—only an eighth of the state’s total Lok Sabha seats. Party leaders are desperate for a revival, and they believe that turning the state into a springboard for Modi will return the party there to its glory days of the 1990s. Leaders and cadres of the BJP, particularly in UP, point to the party’s past record in the state to back the belief that so long as they fight elections on their core Hindutva agenda, they win a large number of seats in the state. The BJP won 41 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 1991, 49 in 1996 and 52 in 1998. In the next general election held in 1999, as the party softened its Hindutva stance in response to coalition compulsions, its UP tally fell to 29, a Lok Sabha contingent that nearly got whittled down to single digits in the two general elections that followed. For a party that once had strong showings in UP, this amounts to being banished to the margins of politics there. However, as the NMFC gets active, the BJP expects to turn its performance trend back upwards. Current ground conditions also favour Modi’s brand of politics. The past year has seen nearly 50 communal incidents, over a dozen of which have been major flare-ups. In one such riot that engulfed Faizabad on 24 October last year, one of the slogans raised by Hindu communalists, as they set minority-owned shops aflame and vandalised a mosque, was: ‘UP bhi Gujarat banega, Faizabad shuruwat karega’ (UP too will become Gujarat, beginning with Faizabad). It was only shortly afterwards that Lalji Tandon wrote Rupala his letter of 18 November on the NMFC initiative and proposed Modi rally. Even more significantly, while Modi & Co took time to respond to the letter, BJP leaders in UP went determinedly ahead to play up the Modi factor in state politics. On Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 88th birthday, for example, hoardings and posters depicting him alongside Modi appeared in Lucknow, the constituency that had elected the former Prime Minister to the Lok Sabha five times (from 1991 to 2004). The current MP Tandon, who considers himself Vajpayee’s successor of sorts, even told mediapersons, “I welcome Modi to contest from Lucknow. We will work according to directions received from our central leadership.†Equally explicit were the printed slogans on hoardings and posters. ‘Badey Lakshya Ki Hai Taiyyari, Ab Hai Rashtra Dharma Ki Baari’ (To achieve a big target we prepare, it is now national duty/religion’s turn), declared one of these, leaving the word ‘dharma’ to reader interpretation. That, however, expresses not just what is on the state BJP’s mind. Modi, too, seems well disposed to the idea of contesting Lucknow’s Lok Sabha seat. “Recently, the state party had sought our opinion on whether Narendra Bhai should contest from Lucknow or a parliamentary seat in Gujarat,†says Suma. “I am of the opinion that he should contest from Lucknow because that would show that he is acceptable even outside Gujarat.†Though the BJP is yet to take a formal decision on the constituency that Modi will be fielded in, if he does win Lucknow, it is likely that the Sangh Parivar would declare him Vajpayee’s successor. And if he succeeds thus in capturing the prime minister’s post, the NMFC could get a big boost as a personal brigade—given solely to his ambitions and all he stands for.

http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/modi-s-fan-club-in-uttar-pradesh if this isn't a case of a personality cult being formed, then I don't know what is.....

[FischerTal]

Here's something for you: Modi’s Fan Club in Uttar Pradesh http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/modi-s-fan-club-in-uttar-pradesh if this isn't a case of a personality cult being formed, then I don't know what is.....

if you are looking for personality cults, check out Pappu's supporters. Also, this is a democracy, if you admire someone, why shouldnt you be allowed to admire them? Here in the US, you should see to what extent Obama supporters go to, to show their love for Obama

[Sachin=GOD]

Something more for you : Modi’s Operandi Twitter, blogs, news portals, investor summits, celebrities – nothing seems to have escaped the public relations blitzkrieg driving Narendra Modi’s prime ministerial ambitions

@Albatrossinfo what is #ModiNama? It is 1 man’s fight v/s intellectuals+media+Congress+NGOs+DilliSultanate+VHP(at times)+(compromised)SC+ItalianMafia @Amitvkaushik NaMo does not have hold on the discision takes for other States and hence the BJP leaders in Delhi, UP etc stink The language and style of the tweets must be familiar to many of us conversant with social media and subjected to tweets by Narendra Modi’s fan club. But these are not just ordinary Twitter handles. These are some of the many that Modi follows and hence endorses on Twitter. Perhaps then there is not much scope for further assessment of Modi’s prime ministerial ambitions, which has been spoken of in newspaper editorials churned every day. With his induction into the BJP Parliamentary Board earlier this week, Modi supporters would want us to believe the stage is set for his coronation. While party president Rajnath Singh stated the move had nothing to do with Modi’s clout in the party, Modi’s PR machine has managed to swell public opinion in his favour over the past four years. Modi’s induction is perhaps the result of well-crafted pressure built by various groups in India and abroad that have been working overtime to construct a larger-than-life image of him. There were three other chief ministers in the running for induction into the Parliamentary Board. It was Modi who was chosen over the likes of Shivraj Singh Chauhan, whose candidature was endorsed by LK Advani. While Rajnath insisted seniority was the criteria, the appointment of Modi’s hatchet man Amit Shah as the party general secretary speaks volumes. While insiders believe the elevation of Shah, who has been charged by the CBI with murder in two fake encounters, will send a wrong signal, and by bowing down to Modi’s diktat the BJP has set a wrong precedent, there is a section within the party that calls it an attempt to checkmate Modi in his own game. When asked to comment, a senior RSS leader suggested it had become an absolute necessity to involve Modi in BJP affairs at a national level to send out a strong signal to the voters, mostly the young ones who find themselves enthralled by the image Modi has built for himself. “Nobody is in a hurry to name the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP or the NDA just yet,” he says. “For the BJP to be in a position to name its PM candidate, it needs the requisite numbers, and those numbers seem to be distant. For now, we need to galvanise the numbers in our favour. If the Modi mania can produce the numbers, and for that if we need to have Modi in the Parliamentary Board, then it’s a small price to pay.” Another BJP leader known for his anti- Modi stance believes Modi’s induction is an attempt to checkmate him at a time when he had been bargaining for his own say in party affairs. Shah, who has been asked by the Supreme Court to stay out of Gujarat, found himself in a constant tussle with Modi’s other favourite Anandiben Patel, who seems to have made the most of Shah’s absence in the state. With Shah’s closest team of policemen languishing in jails following cases of fake encounters and his confidant GL Singhal being arrested in the Ishrat Jehan case last month, Shah had been building pressure on Modi to bring him back into the BJP mainstream. While Rajnath found himself uncomfortable answering questions on Shah, managing to fumble that the case was sub-judice, it was not difficult to sense the pressure the BJP had been under. When contacted, RSS leader Ram Madhav suggested Rajnath had done a balancing act, while repeating the standard reply of the RSS: “We did not put pressure on them or suggest to them to appoint people. It was purely in the hands of senior BJP leaders under the leadership of Rajnathji to come to a decision.” With the inclusion of Varun Gandhi and Uma Bharti as office-bearers, Rajnath has indeed done a balancing act, one that explains Modi’s insistence on getting Shah in the team. Both Varun and Uma come with a hardline Hindutva image and have the ability to consolidate votes in north India. Former Karnataka chief minister Sadananda Gowda, who had to make way for Modi favourite Jagdish Shettar, also finds himself back in the new team. In a situation like this when the party seems to have been looking for ways to counter the Modi mania, it is pertinent to assess events of the past three years that culminated in Modi’s induction. Whether Modi will become the prime minister or not will indeed depend on the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha election; that the BJP will have to pander to its allies like the JD(U) and Shiv Sena, which have expressed their displeasure at Modi’s candidature, is something that will indeed weigh in. But for a man who has been in the news in the past three years courtesy his ambitions, it would be interesting to delve into an almost obsessive campaign that Modi has used, unprecedented in the history of independent India.

http://tehelka.com/modis-operandi/

[ganeshran]

if you are looking for personality cults' date=' check out Pappu's supporters. Also, this is a democracy, if you admire someone, why shouldnt you be allowed to admire them? Here in the US, you should see to what extent Obama supporters go to, to show their love for Obama[/quote'] Rahul Gandhi has a personality cult? When did this happen :cantstop::cantstop:

[FischerTal]

Something more for you : Modi’s Operandi Twitter, blogs, news portals, investor summits, celebrities – nothing seems to have escaped the public relations blitzkrieg driving Narendra Modi’s prime ministerial ambitions http://tehelka.com/modis-operandi/

so now we are quoting tehelka? using a site that has done nothing but bash modi to criticize Modi? :--D and you still havent answered my point. In a democracy, are we allowed to have a fan club or not? Your DP should tell you your stance reeks of hypocrisy. You are a sachin devotee and then say Modi supporters are wrong in supporting Modi? Whether its politics or sports, why should it matter if people idolize someone?

[Sachin=GOD]

]if you are looking for personality cults' date=' check out Pappu's supporters. [/b']Also, this is a democracy, if you admire someone, why shouldnt you be allowed to admire them? Here in the US, you should see to what extent Obama supporters go to, to show their love for Obama

really???? I mean, you really think that Pappu's case is that of creating a personality cult :rofl: Its not wrong to have fan clubs but what Modi is doing is that he's trying to become bigger than the party - that just doesn't work. He has already taken over the party machinary in Gujarat and has now started the same process at the National level by having criminals like Amit Shah being made in-charge of the most important state for BJP i.e. UP. It may happen in the US but this is not the way politics works in India. Modi is really naive if hie thinks that in the Indian political process he can become PM by shouting and having his fanboys make a lot of noise - in fact, this is the perfect recipe for disaster as far as his ambitions for PM are concerned. Sharad Pawar wasn't wrong when he recently said that those who make a lot of noise don't become PM in India.

[Sachin=GOD]

so now we are quoting tehelka? using a site that has done nothing but bash modi to criticize Modi? :--D

Oh ok, so now we can't even quote someone if he/she/that site questions the dear leader :giggle:

[FischerTal]

really???? I mean, you really think that Pappu's case is that of creating a personality cult :rofl: Its not wrong to have fan clubs but what Modi is doing is that he's trying to become bigger than the party - that just doesn't work. He has already taken over the party machinary in Gujarat and has now started the same process at the National level by having criminals like Amit Shah being made in-charge of the most important state for BJP i.e. UP. It may happen in the US but this is not the way politics works in India. Modi is really naive if hie thinks that in the Indian political process he can become PM by shouting and having his fanboys make a lot of noise - in fact, this is the perfect recipe for disaster as far as his ambitions for PM are concerned. Sharad Pawar wasn't wrong when he recently said that those who make a lot of noise don't become PM in India.

:hysterical: amit shah is a criminal. what happened to innocent before being proven guilty? :hehe: and what are you basing these findings on? Are you a member of the inner core of the BJP? Have they told you Modi has taken over the BJP and that only what he wants is going on. Too many assumptions being turned into facts here :asleep:

[FischerTal]

Oh ok' date=' so now we can't even quote someone if he/she/that site questions the dear leader :giggle:[/quote'] lulz look at tehelka's history with modi and if you have the ability to ascertain patterns, you will come to the logical conclusion that i have derived. :two_thumbs_up:

[Sachin=GOD]

:hysterical: amit shah is a criminal. what happened to innocent before being proven guilty? :hehe: and what are you basing these findings on? Are you a member of the inner core of the BJP? Have they told you Modi has taken over the BJP and that only what he wants is going on. Too many assumptions being turned into facts here :asleep:

of course not, he's "merely" an accused out on bail - one who has been ordered by the Supreme Court not to enter Gujarat because he may influence the investigation. BTW he came to Lucknow for the first time day before yesterday and talked of not giving tickets to people with criminal background........the irony

[FischerTal]

of course not, he's "merely" an accused out on bail - one who has been ordered by the Supreme Court not to enter Gujarat because he may influence the investigation. BTW he came to Lucknow for the first time day before yesterday and talked of not giving tickets to people with criminal background........the irony

lol still presuming a person to be guilty before the courts render that judgement. Are you sure you live in Lucknow or is panther your neighbor? :giggle:

[ravishingravi]

dude' date=' the Narendra Modi fan club has been organizing meetings in various cities and is working overtime to turn people's opinion on social media in his favour.[/quote'] I don't see anything wrong with that if the liberal media has been working overtime last 10 years to destroy his image and suppress the achievements

[zumi]

Stories impacting Sonia’s image are carefully choreographed right at the top, at the level of promoters and editors who are on first-name terms with key Congress functionaries such as Ahmed Patel. But Patel, the consummate spin doctor, also has a line with beat reporters; they need each other in the demanding 24x7 news cycle where a single ‘untutored’ line could damage the Congress President’s image. It is a tradeoff that works well for both. While the lowly reporter can impress his bosses by claiming he has knowledge of closely-held developments, Patel gets to ensure that Sonia’s image remains unsullied.

Indian media have become benefit scroungers, living off stolen public money given as dole by Congress dogs for example like sh!tty Bharat Nirman ads, it's still a scandal that monkey's, Sonia Gandhi, face figured in the Bharat Nirman ads. today's Congress has become mafia organisation run by a few elite ministers who are cleverly using the Gandhi brandname. they better fix their ethical and moral compass or else we will have no national party by the end of next decade

[Sachin=GOD]

I don't see anything wrong with that if the liberal media has been working overtime last 10 years to destroy his image and suppress the achievements

there's a reason for that - he's friggn guilty. I have seen the working of Govt. administration from up close and I can say this with 100% certainty that there is no way riots of that scale could have happened and the CM couldn't have known. Besides, Modi isn't the usual CM - he likes to control every single thing in his state so to think that he just didn't know/had nothing to do with the riots is laughable. The Cong was directly involved in the 1984 riots but no major leader has been brought to justice till date - the same may happen in Modi's case but that does not mean he's not guilty or that the media should stay silent or that the Cong shouldn't use its influence to make the media cover this story in greater detail.