BJP president Amit Shah had staged it as a Diwali Milan with the media. And, true to the festive spirit of the occasion, there were sweets and sweetness all around — and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had nothing but praise for journalists, asking them to “keep spreading the light”. In his first remarks to a media audience since he took charge five months ago, Modi recalled the “beautiful relationship” he had with the press when he worked as general secretary in Delhi and said that he was actively looking for a way to “deepen and broaden” that relationship. These remarks, a conspicuous break from his past comments on the press, come when Modi has evolved his distinctive style of political communication, which involves going directly to his audiences, be it via social media on a daily basis, or through special events and occasions, such as his interaction with students nationwide on Teachers’ Day. At Saturday’s function, he took no questions but in a short address — before he stepped down from the stage and went from table to table — he appeared more confident and sure vis-a-vis the media than ever. “I used to arrange chairs here (BJP office) waiting for you (media). Those were different days when we used to interact freely. I had a beautiful relationship with you and it helped me in Gujarat,” Modi said. Suggesting that he was aware of the distance he has kept from the media, Modi said: “I am looking for a way to deepen and broaden my relationship with the media. Some way will be found to make judicious use of my time with you. It is important to interact with the media directly rather than (only) through reportage and articles. By interacting directly, one gets to know things, (even those) which media persons cannot report. Not only does one get information but also vision, which is very valuable.” He went on to praise the media for its coverage of the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan and said that it had force multiplied the effect of the mission. “The Prime Minister cannot pick up the broom alone. Media has converted its pen into a broom. This is a service to the nation. So far, cleaning up was considered the government’s duty alone, but it is the media that has made it a joint effort.I owe a deep debt to them.” Modi said that although 80 per cent of the media coverage of the cleanliness mission carried critiques of the government, it had “awakened” the society and government. Later, Modi, who was introduced by BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma as “Yuva Hriday Samrat”, mingled with the reporters and TV anchors present. Many jostled to get themselves photographed with him and he, patiently and quite pleasantly, obliged. He invited the photographers present to get a picture taken with him and took the camera from the BJP’s official photographer to click a few frames himself. The event, which was clearly a Modi show, was also attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, BJP vice-president Vinay Sahasrabudhe, and general secretaries J P Nadda, Ram Lalji and P Murlidhar Rao, among others.
