The Samajwadi Party will no longer boycott 14 anchors of TV channels, thereby breaking ranks with the INDI Alliance decision taken in this regard some months ago. This is a wise decision because the boycott is an utterly amateurish, even childish, response to allegedly partisan journalism. The embargo is proving quite harmful to the Alliance’s cause because all the channels have done is call ‘experts’ to present the opposition’s point of view, which does not necessarily conform with the actual positions of these parties. The more authentic the debate seems to be, the more damage is being to the opposition through inaccurate representation.
It is a good thing that the SP has understood the danger. No matter how biased the anchoring, the party will at least be able to present its case properly. The INDI Alliance strategy is like barricading oneself in a fortress while enemy forces pillage the kingdom.
The boycott also reveals an essential lack of respect and understanding of the Fourth Estate. It makes no sense to target the messenger and one can only imagine what actions would be taken against ‘offending’ journalists if these parties actually come to power. The Emergency era was witness to high-handed censorship of the press and the non-compliant. That culture seems to have continued within the Congress, whose present day strategists cooked up the boycott plan.
Most of the other parties in the Alliance, except for the Communists, were actually on the receiving end of the Congress sanctions and should be wary of adopting that culture. The disillusionment with the Congress domination of the opposition front is spreading, particularly with the realisation that any electoral successes would further increase its hold. The matter has been further complicated by the unwillingness to share political space by the Congress in its supposed strongholds. Going further down the same road could mean the regional parties would be reduced to little more than camp-followers. Ironically, only defeat in elections can maintain the Congress’s relevance in the Alliance.
India needs to avoid the kind of polarisation that has emerged so strongly in the US, where the followers of Donald Trump are attacking the basic institutions of democracy. It should be left to the media to self-correct, which is what freedom allows. Credit should also be given to the voting public for being smart enough to see through the propaganda smokescreens.
