Media, Monopolies and Manipulation: The Unholy Alliance Exposed in the 2024 Elections
How Indian media promotes divisive politics and caste hegemony. Vidya Bhushan Rawat writes, Rajdeep Sardesai had long started batting for Narendra Modi. He said in many interviews that the BJP was crossing 300. Shekhar Gupta virtually mocked Congress and felt it would not cross 60 and crossing 90 would mean a big thing. Another 'liberal' Vir Sanghavi was also upset with Congress and Rahul Gandhi, just because he spoke about caste census and reservation
The results of the General Elections 2024 have thoroughly exposed the Bania media and its Brahmanical proponents. I have never trusted it but it took 10 years of Modi rule to expose them completely. V T Rajshekar, the indomitable Editor of Dalit Voice which flourished in the 1990s always mocked their ”merit’ and wrote ‘Merit: My Foot’. Many people would question him and blame him for criticising ”liberals” but he remains categorical that the Brahmanical liberals are more dangerous. Time has proved that these liberals by picking up one or two issues become a brand of ‘secularism’ and ‘liberalism’ among the Brahmin Bania media and then suddenly get exposed whenever there is a threat to their duopoly.
The bloodbath at the stock market where Banias hold a solid monopoly can’t be without the involvement and knowledge of those who own these channels and have converted them to disinformation centres for their profit. The Darbari media or manustream media has lost all its credibility.
We all know that this has been a tough election where BJP wanted to finish everything that we had in the name of opposition. It played different games, distorting facts and hiding information from people. The so-called ‘national media’ therefore is a partner in crime against the constitution.
Look the way Rajat Sharma shamelessly spoke about Rahul Gandhi, will leave for Italy after June 4th, a despicable statement made by BJP spokespersons everywhere. The ‘bombardment’ of so-called interviews of Narendra Modi during the election campaign was nothing but purely advertised campaigns for the ruling party. Unfortunately, neither the Election Commission nor the Supreme Court bothered about it. The media had no time to question the government but in the name of news, they were just providing a platform to those who can demonise the opposition and lampoon Rahul Gandhi.
Rajdeep Sardesai had long started batting for Narendra Modi. He said in many interviews that the BJP was crossing 300. Shekhar Gupta virtually mocked Congress and felt it would not cross 60 and crossing 90 would mean a big thing. Another ‘liberal’ Vir Sanghavi was also upset with Congress and Rahul Gandhi, just because he spoke about caste census and reservation.
Indian media has proved that it will go to any extent to protect the caste interest of its owners and reporters. They are upset with the caste questions. In the 1990s, I studied the Hindi media when the BJP launched the Ayodhya campaign. The middle-class liberals were exposed at that time as they hated Mandal. The media had no shame in supporting the Hindutva campaign just because they didn’t want to upset their caste hegemony.
Now, 35 years later, we see a much worse media, more nasty, casteist and thuggish promoting animosity among communities and having no shame in broadcasting, and publishing stories that vilified Muslims of India. Isn’t it a shame that the nearly 15 crore population of India, its second majority, is termed as the main villain and all efforts were made to deny them representation?
Media is a business. They are loyal to their jatis and owners. After the 1990s, many of our friends felt that India needed to ‘liberalise’ but they only meant to privatise the national resources to a few cronies and jaatis. They could not develop liberal thinking and ideas. Capitalism in India is nothing but Baniaism and the media owned by the Banias have done everything to protect their business and market monopoly. Brahmins were just satisfied with their social-cultural privileges. The duopoly of these two communities is well established. Capitalism in India needs religion to thrive and vice versa. Jyotiba Phule said it is Sethji and Bhatji combined that want to rule over us and control our minds and resources. Anyone who tries to challenge this hegemony is unwanted and named and shamed as jaatiwadis.
It is good that diverse new young people are speaking. Let the different voices emerge. There are good people everywhere and I don’t say everyone from these communities is bad. Exceptions are always there but we must not forget that jaatis created and protected their hegemonies. Perhaps, that is the reason why we all are upset with caste questions and the representation of diverse groups in our power structure. India’s unity and strength are its diversity and it is time it should reflect everywhere right from media, to judiciary, to industry to academia and cultural spaces and only then we will be called a truly liberal democratic society.
