Opinion View from the left: Real Issues
Also talking about media’s role, CPI(ML)’s ML Update says that while “an objective and independent media is crucial for any democracy”, it is important to define such independence.
The CPI’s New Age takes on the media, claiming it is attempting to “don the role of agenda setter” while picking subjects that have “no direct connect with the problems faced by the common people.” In an editorial titled “Media Sidetracking Real Issues”, the CPI says, “The subjects that are picked up have no direct connect with the problems faced by the common people… Their concentration remains on focusing only on non-issues to sidetrack the real socio-economic issues.” It adds that an entire “story of development” is being created, deviating from reality.
The editorial also says that the Congress-led UPA’s sudden “propaganda blitz to claim that everything is well on the economic front” is part of this “story”. There are real issues, but “neither the political parties nor the corporate controlled media is interested in taking them up and the public has to suffer due to manipulated price rise,” the editorial concludes.
ALTERNATIVE ECONOMICS
Claiming that a section of India Inc was “scaling new heights in the euphoric support” for the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, the CPM’s People’s Democracy says this euphoria is “chillingly reminiscent of how sections of global capitalists openly assisted the rise of Hitler and fascism in Germany in the 1930s.”
“In the current situation of a continued crisis of global capitalism, continuing since the 2008 global financial meltdown, corporate India sees in India’s communal fascistic machine the best opportunity to maximise profits notwithstanding the horrendous consequences that it may have for India’s unity…” says the editorial, adding, “The latest instance for such euphoric celebration is the upward movement of India’s stock markets, in an otherwise gloomy world.” Criticising both the Congress and BJP, the editorial pitches for “an alternative policy trajectory… Alternative from the policy direction followed by both the Congress and the BJP, where economic growth will take place accompanied by the growing economic prosperity of all our people not merely for the minuscule ‘Shining’ India… This is the task at hand in the forthcoming 2014 general elections…”
MEDIA’S ROLE
Also talking about the media’s role, the CPI(ML)’s ML Update says that while “an objective and independent media is crucial for any democracy”, it is important to define such independence.
“Media wields enormous power to shape political opinion, to decide which issues acquire national importance, and which opinions capture the popular imagination. And we have ample evidence to show that there is very little to keep this power accountable and transparent,” it says. Taking on the issue of paid news, the editorial says, “There is widespread evidence of paid news…” Talking about AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s remarks, the editorial says his statements “have come in for some justifiable criticism” and adds, “the problem was not that he brought up the burning issue of paid media. The problem was that his sweeping remarks threatening to jail journalists smacked of high-handedness and also hypocrisy. After all, he seems to be complaining about the media only during elections, when the bias is tilted towards the BJP.”
Compiled by Ruhi Tewari
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