Fire & fury over chariots chanting NaMo & Ha Ha over hunger index

There is absolutely nothing wrong in the government propagating its welfare schemes meant for the people. Public in fact should be aware of the benefits and get maximum benefit out of them (pun intended). This should be an ongoing exercise and not a sudden burst ahead of elections. Apart from the collectors and the tehsildars – the last mile connect with the grassroots – the ruling party has its own MPs, MLAs and local self-governments apart from its own cadre. In the case of the BJP, the publicity network extends to its claimed 18 crore members as the world’s largest political party.

We must view the recent government circular on appointing Rath Prabharis for the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to spread the good word about the government’s (Yes, NDA government’s) schemes launched over the past 9 years. You do not require high-tech analytics to make out that the government wants to propagate its brownies.

As we have been pointing out on this platform, from a junior minister to the Prime Minister have all been stressing what happened over the past nine years while the BJP-run states tom-toming their own achievements under the “dynamic leadership” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Then, the governments spend tax-payers’ money on their massive advertisement campaigns. The BJP has its own IT cell that does carpet bombing of the party messaging. And the government of the day (read BJP) has the biggest advantage of the Godi Media channels and newspapers who always show only what they perceive (or are handed out) as the positive side. For instance, the so-called resounding success of the G20 Summit and the “revolutionary demonetisation”. The world may have its own reservations but the Bhakts and the Godi Media have “unwavering and unstinted faith” in Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai.

So, the legitimate question that arises is whether the Modi Government is required to galvanise the IAS machinery and enact “Yes Prime Minister” across 766 districts pan-India. Do the PR advisors not tell the PM that overkill can backfire. Repeat effect to some extent is tolerable but too much of it will be lost like vendors shouting “Aa Chai, Chai…Samosa” at railway stations.

Only the IT Cell and the Godi Media seem to believe that nothing really happened nine years ago in this country. And suddenly, light broke out nine years ago and the entire nation has begun to experience a wave of development. Be it the defence, IT, agriculture, science, aviation, railway network, skill development and all that happened only during the last nine years. And nobody talks or writes about the missed goals such housing for all and health for all!

The height of the nine-year chant was noticed in the PM’s claim for the Olympics 2039 in which he mentioned that India recently hosted global tournaments such as the Chess Olympiad which the Football Under-17 Women’s World Cup, the Hockey World Cup, the Women’s World Boxing Championship, the Shooting World Cup and the ongoing Cricket World Cup. The speech writers for Modi’s tele-prompter obviously forgot to highlight that India had hosted the Asian games twice over (the inaugural in 1951 and in 1982), Commonwealth Games (2010) and the inaugural Afro-Asian games. Oh yes, these were not held during the last nine years!

Back to the Rath Prabhari Yojana for the nine-year record chanting. It may or may not survive judicial or the Election Commission scrutiny. But it certainly raises questions of propriety. The BJP may defend it as part of the government’s messaging to the people so that they can derive the benefits envisaged and the INDIA bloc may be legitimate in making the IAS machinery work on this election-oriented publicity drive. I stick my neck out to say that it is an election-related work because of its timing -November 20, 2023 to 25 January 25, 2024. Remember, elections to five legislative assemblies are slated for November 7 to 30 and the results will be out on December 3. The next general elections are slated for April-May 2024. Propriety and BJP are antonyms, haven’t they sought votes on Pulwama attack? "I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan. Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack)," Modi said.- PTI report on Modi’s election rallies in Maharashtra -published by India Today website , April 9, 2019).

The state election officer and the Osmanabad district poll officer reported that Modi’s speech was inconsistent with the Election Commission’s guidelines. The PM was apparently given a clean chit by the Election Commission, else he would have been forced to quit.

Those who preach principles of politics must practise them.

Another disturbing news that one read during the last week was the way Child and Women Welfare Minister Smriti Irani ridiculed the Global Hunger Index (GHI) that placed India at 111 among the 125 nations and below Pakistan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Congo and above Afghanistan and Mozambique. At an FICCI meet in Hyderabad, she claimed that the GHI does not reflect the true picture as it is based on telephone calls to some 3,000 people and asking them if they are hungry. Even she would have said that she was hungry if she was asked by the GHI during her trips from city to city throughout the day and when she did not have a meal from 5 AM to 10 PM! Was she ignorant that the Hunger Index is based on four parameters: undernourishment, child stunning, child wasting and child mortality?

Smriti conveniently forgot the fact that the PM himself and Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal have repeatedly been saying that the government gives free and concessional ration to 80 crore people (of the total population of 140 crores).

In this context, what will be the role of Rath Prabhari IAS officers? Will they keep telling the 80-crore people the government has been sponsoring their food. Or that Indian stakes claim to host the Olympics 2039.

Please don’t underestimate the intelligence of an Indian voter as he is not an idiot. Legend has it, in ancient Greece, the mother of democracy, an idiot was referred to as someone who was not concerned with public life and who did not vote. Do we need to say more?