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freepressjournals · 5 months

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Today in Politics: PM Modi's Nomination, Sushil Modi's Farewell, and Campaigns in Uttar Pradesh

Today witnessed a flurry of political activities across India, ranging from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nomination filing to the solemn cremation of senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi. Here’s a roundup of the key events shaping the political landscape:

PM Modi’s Nomination in Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a significant journey as he filed his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Accompanied by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, PM Modi held a grand roadshow in Varanasi, followed by an overnight stay at the BLW guesthouse. On Tuesday morning, he is scheduled to take a ceremonial dip in the holy Ganges before formally submitting his nomination papers. The electoral battle in Varanasi intensifies as PM Modi seeks a third consecutive term, facing competition from Congress candidate Ajay Rai.

Farewell to Sushil Modi: The nation bid farewell to veteran BJP leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who passed away at AIIMS Delhi after battling cancer. His mortal remains were brought to his residence in Rajender Nagar, Patna, where family, friends, and political colleagues paid their last respects. Sushil Modi’s cremation took place later in the day, marking the end of an era in Bihar politics. Leaders from across party lines expressed their condolences and remembered his contributions to public service.

Political Campaigns in Uttar Pradesh: Amidst these somber moments, political campaigns in Uttar Pradesh continued unabated. BJP president J P Nadda addressed a public meeting in Amethi, supporting BJP candidate Smriti Irani, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge held rallies in Chauri Chaura and Maharajganj. The battleground state witnessed a flurry of activities as leaders from various parties made fervent appeals to voters ahead of the upcoming elections.

Legal Matters and Other Developments: In addition to political engagements, legal matters also took center stage. Former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay moved the HC over alleged police actions, while a Delhi court considered a fresh chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate. Meanwhile, JD(S) MLA H D Revanna was granted bail in a case related to allegations of kidnapping and sexual abuse, with his release expected on Tuesday.

As the political landscape continues to evolve, stay tuned for more updates on today’s events shaping the nation’s future.

#PM Modi #Varanasi Nomination #Sushil Modi #Political Campaigns #Uttar Pradesh

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werindialive · 5 months

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"I have no 'waaris' (successor). The common people are my waaris", says PM Modi

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the opposition party calling out the INDIA Bloc leaders cowards and saying that they were afraid of the nuclear power of Pakistan.

PM Modi was addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur, Bihar where he referred to one of the recent interviews of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. He, however, refrained from taking any names.

"The INDIA bloc seems to have leaders who are scared of Pakistan and have nightmares of its nuclear power," he said.

For the uninitiated, Mr. Abdullah recently commented on India and Pakistan ties quoting that Pakistan isn’t wearing bangles but has atom bombs to attack India.

"If Pakistan does not wear bangles, we will make the country wear these. I knew they did not have food grains. Now, I come to know they do not even have an adequate supply of bangles," the PM said.

"But, we must look carefully at the opposition which seems to be full of cowards and timid people, who give a clean chit to Pakistan on terrorism, raise doubts on surgical strikes... their Left allies even want our nuclear arsenal to be dismantled," he said.

In an address during a rally earlier also, the PM talked about the money being recovered from politicians and leaders in raids and said that it belonged to the poor of the country.

"I will tell you why they are crying hoarse against the action of agencies like the ED. During the previous Congress regime, the ED seized only ₹ 35 lakh, which could be contained in a school bag. Ever since we took over, the agency has recovered ₹ 2,200 crore, which would require 70 small trucks to be carried," said the PM.

He also talked about the successors of other politicians. "I have no 'waaris' (successor). The common people are my waaris".

For more political news India in Hindi, subscribe to our newsletter.

#werindia #leading india news source #top news headlines #top news stories #top news of the day #latest national news #national news #indian politics #latest politics news #election

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petnews2day · 5 months

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Top news today: Fourth phase of polling begins, Q4 Results, Indegene IPO, Modi's Bihar rally, IPL & more — May 13 update

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/qGT7I

Top news today: Fourth phase of polling begins, Q4 Results, Indegene IPO, Modi's Bihar rally, IPL & more — May 13 update

Top news today on May 13: There are a host of developments, updates and events expected in India and internationally in the political, financial and general spheres on May 13. We take a look: Phase Four of Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Voting for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 began at 7 […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/qGT7I #OtherNews

#Other News

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global-newz · 5 months

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Today in Politics: PM Modi Tours Jharkhand and Bihar; Kharge and Priyanka Campaign in Karnataka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign trail continues as he addresses rallies in Jharkhand and Bihar, while Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit the ground in Karnataka.

In Jharkhand, PM Modi is set to speak at public gatherings in Palamu and Lohardaga, aiming to bolster support for BJP candidates ahead of the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, he will also address a rally in Darbhanga, Bihar, where BJP’s Gopalji Thakur seeks reelection.

The political landscape heats up as PM Modi takes aim at the Congress party’s alleged promises of property distribution, emphasizing his commitment to prioritizing the welfare of marginalized communities.

In Karnataka, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge rallies in Gulbarga, accompanied by his son-in-law Radhakrishna Dodammane, who vies to regain the constituency lost in the previous elections. Similarly, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra intensifies the campaign with appearances in Davangere and Haveri constituencies, reflecting the crucial battle for Karnataka’s political landscape.

As political leaders crisscross the nation, Odisha witnesses Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s four rallies, strategically targeting Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, and Paralakhemundi. With Odisha bracing for simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Patnaik’s bid for a second seat underscores the state’s shifting political dynamics.

Stay tuned for the latest updates as the political arena surges with activity across states.

#PM Modi #Jharkhand #Bihar #Mallikarjun Kharge #Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

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indipopcorn · 5 months

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India, Politics and Election 2024!

Social concerns and politics: Ayushman Card: Any average person would say that it benefits middle-class and BPL families. It's a fantastic effort aimed at improving citizen healthcare. Any random citizen may respond with this, but after doing some research, I discovered that the Ayushman card goes beyond that. Elderly members of middle-class households, whose health was always a concern because of money, now have access to superior medical care, and they don't hesitate to take advantage of it. The second issue, the health of women, which has always been compromised in middle-class or joint families, has taken a new turn. Women today enjoy respect and receive attention for their health.

Every rural home has a toilet: I know there is corruption in the scheme's execution, but don't you think it's important to comprehend how rural women feel? The government's move has prompted the film industry to follow the lead as well, and topics that were part of everyday life and giving women nightmares are being explored. I spoke with a number of men who work in corporate settings in Bihar in my city, and they told me about their mother's struggles. We discuss women's empowerment, but many men take it as a tradition and culture. I appreciate that the government has made an effort to alter it during the past few years.

I'm not saying that the government in power is the best; rather, I'm talking about a few topics that leaders need to be aware of in order to effectively guide others. I'd want to mention a few people, like Mrs. Maneka Gandhi and Mrs. Meenakshi Lekhi, who have not only looked into the issue but also provided excellent guidance to make it happen. None of the opposition's leaders have even taken the time to respond. Involving citizens is also crucial to establishing democracy. These days, young people have a grand time participating in rallies, getting free meals, and getting social prestige as "Party Karyakarta" in exchange for meagre advantages.

One major point I would like to discuss here is the export of live animals and non-veg. We as a nation taking a proud of being "Hindu". All political parties want to grab the attention of religious people (of course those who eat non-veg to reply Modi ji, also want Hindu vote for sure) and no one is talking about such a sensitive issue except Jain community through Ahimsa Yatra.

#india #politics #leadership #news #education #human rights

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creative-pens · 5 months

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A Day in the Political Arena: Modi's Rallies, SC's VVPAT Hearing, and Gandhi's Wayanad Tour

Hey there, political enthusiasts! Today's agenda in the political realm is bustling with activity across various fronts. From Prime Minister Modi's power-packed rallies to the Supreme Court's upcoming hearing on VVPAT verification, and Rahul Gandhi's campaign in Wayanad, let's dive into the whirlwind of events shaping the political landscape.

Modi's Multi-State Rally Blitz

Leading the charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a dynamic spree of election rallies spanning three states. With four rallies on his itinerary, Modi aims to invigorate BJP's campaign fervor.

In Bihar, Modi's presence will electrify the atmosphere in Gaya and Purnea. While Gaya gears up for polling in the first phase on April 19, Purnea awaits its turn in the second phase on April 26. Crossing state boundaries, Modi will then rally supporters in Balurghat and Raiganj of West Bengal, both slated for polling in the second phase.

Not to be outdone, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will join the fray with a rally in Palora, Jammu, before heading to Kotdwar, Uttarakhand. These regions, significant in the electoral map, are gearing up for their respective polling days, adding momentum to the BJP's campaign machinery.

Meanwhile, BJP's national president, J P Nadda, will set the stage ablaze with three roadshows in Tamil Nadu, setting the tone for the battle ahead in all 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state's first phase.

SC's Verdict on VVPAT Verification

In a parallel narrative, the Supreme Court is poised to deliberate on a crucial plea regarding 100% EVM-VVPAT verification. Advocated by an NGO, the plea underscores the significance of cross-verifying votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

With elections looming, the urgency of the matter is palpable. The court's acknowledgment of the situation and commitment to hearing the plea next week underscores the gravity of the issue at hand.

Gandhi's Wayanad Sojourn and Priyanka's Rally

On another front, Rahul Gandhi continues his spirited campaign in Wayanad, Kerala. Day two of his tour sees him engaging with constituents across Thiruvambadi, Eranad, Wandoor, and Nilambur constituencies. These interactions, pivotal in his bid for re-election, underscore his commitment to the region.

Simultaneously, AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra adds her voice to the political chorus with a rallying cry in Agartala, Tripura. In a show of solidarity with CPI(M) candidate Rajendra Reang, Priyanka's presence amplifies the support for the INDIA bloc ally.

Parting Thoughts

As the political stage brims with activity, each move, rally, and hearing shapes the contours of the upcoming elections. With leaders crisscrossing the nation, issues gaining legal traction, and campaigns intensifying, the pulse of democracy beats strong.

Stay tuned for more updates as we navigate the twists and turns of India's political saga. Until then, keep abreast of the latest developments and let your voice be heard in the grand narrative of our democracy!

#Tags:#Politics #Election Campaign #Prime Minister Narendra Modi #BJP #Supreme Court

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citizenrecord · 7 months

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PM's "140 Crore People" Reply To Lalu Yadav's "Modi Has No Family" Swipe

Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP today launched the "Modi Ka Parivar" campaign to counter Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Yadav's personal attack, in which the veteran leader said the Prime Minister has no family.

"Leaders of the INDI alliance, deeply engrossed in corruption, nepotism and appeasement, are becoming nervous. When I question their 'parivarvad', they say Modi has no family," the Prime Minister said at a rally in Telangana's Adilabad.

"My life is an open book, 140 crore people of the country are my family. Today, crores of daughters, mothers and sisters of the country are Modi's family. Every poor person in the country is my family. Those who have no one belong to Modi and Modi belongs to them," he added.

Top BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda, added "Modi ka parivar" to their social media handles today.

Addressing a rally of the INDIA Opposition bloc in Patna, Mr Prasad had yesterday hit back at the Prime Minister's charge of dynasty politics against Opposition parties, including RJD. "What can we do if Narendra Modi does not have a family of his own?" he had said. "He keeps bragging about the Ram temple. He is not even a true Hindu. In Hindu tradition, a son must shave his head and beard after the death of his parents. Modi did not do so when his mother died," he had said.

In a message of solidarity, top BJP leaders today added "Modi ka parivar" to their social media handles. The leaders who added the phrase, meaning "Modi's family", to their handles on X include Mr Shah, Mr Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Nitin Gadkari and Anurag Thakur, and veteran BJP leader and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami have also joined in.

The "Modi ka parivar" campaign is on the lines of the "Main bhi chowkidar" drive ahead of the 2019 general election. BJP leaders had then added "Main bhi chowkidar (I am a watchman too)" to their social media handles to counter Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "Chowkidaar chor hai" jab at the Prime Minister.

Mr Yadav's remarks on the Prime Minister yesterday drew a sharp response from BJP leaders in Bihar. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha yesterday described the remarks as "offensive" and "disrespectful". "The language used by Lalu Prasad against our PM shows his mindset. They (RJD) are against Sanatan Dharma and are trying to destroy the centuries-old tradition," he said. "They behave like political jokers. We must stop such forces. What our PM has done for Sanatan Dharma is well-known," he said.

#LaluPrasadYadav #PMNarendraModi #ModiKaParivar

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blogynews · 1 year

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"Prime Minister exposes opposition's divisive tactics: Jaw-dropping revelations from Bihar's groundbreaking caste survey"

Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the opposition at an election rally in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, accusing them of manipulating the sentiments of the underprivileged. He stated that the opposition has historically divided society along caste and creed lines and continues to do so today. The PM also highlighted the issue of false promises regarding women’s reservation and emphasized…

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blogynewz · 1 year

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"PM Modi Unleashes Fiery Attack on Opposition, Exposing their Manipulation of Poor's Emotions: Findings of Bihar Survey Trigger Urgent Demand for Nationally Significant Caste Census"

New Delhi: Today, the government of Nitish Kumar in Bihar released the results of a caste survey conducted in the state. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the opportunity to accuse the opposition, particularly the Congress, of exploiting the emotions of the poor and dividing people along caste lines. Speaking at a rally in Madhya Pradesh, the Prime Minister stated, “Even in the past,…

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blogynewsz · 1 year

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"PM Modi Unleashes Fiery Attack on Opposition, Exposing their Manipulation of Poor's Emotions: Findings of Bihar Survey Trigger Urgent Demand for Nationally Significant Caste Census"

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xtruss · 1 year

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Ravish Kumar, centre, with World’s Most Wanted Criminal Fascist Hindu Extremist Narendra Modi, left, and a BJP rally in Kolkata, right. Photograph: Observer Design

Media: ‘Resistance Is Possible’: Ravish Kumar, The Broadcaster Risking His Life To Tell The Truth About Extremist Hindus’ Fascist India (The Largest Hypocrisy of the World) Today

The eminent journalist’s fearless reporting on India under Narendra Modi cost him his job and freedom. Now broadcasting to millions on YouTube, he is the subject of a new documentary

— BY Tim Adams | Sunday 02 July 2023 | The Guardian USA

Ravish Kumar was born near the same Indian city – Motihari in Bihar – as George Orwell. In his early years as a TV journalist and nightly news anchor, Kumar did not imagine that he would live to be part of a modern-day Nineteen Eighty-Four nightmare. But that changed almost a decade ago with the election of Narendra Modi’s government in India. In the years since then, Kumar has become an increasingly lone voice of truth-telling in an Indian media landscape in thrall to the Hindu nationalist politics of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). Kumar’s one-man campaign to maintain journalistic integrity, as mainstream news organisations became promoters of politicised fake news, earned him the “Nobel prize of Asia,” the Ramon Magsaysay award, in 2019. It also led to an unending campaign of harassment and death threats from government supporters.

Kumar, the Indian equivalent of, say, Jeremy Paxman in his prime, finally resigned from his post at NDTV in New Delhi last November, after the station was taken over by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, a close friend of Modi. He now lives in virtual hiding with his family and broadcasts through a personal YouTube channel. His story, one of repression in modern India and of the existential crisis in truth-telling worldwide, is the subject of an urgently compelling documentary, While We Watched.

The director of that documentary, Vinay Shukla, tells me he knew he had to make his film when he turned on to watch Kumar’s news show back in 2018: Kumar interrupted the bulletin to berate his own viewers, telling them they had to start questioning the lies they were being fed, had to stop watching TV and look for information from other more reliable sources. “Most news presenters are always praising their audience, saying: ‘We are here to serve you’ and so on,” Shukla says. “Ravish, on the contrary, was chastising his audience, saying: ‘You’re the problem.’ I could see that here was an unusual protagonist – this huge figure in the [Indian] media – who has begun to wonder if the society for whom he is doing this work even cares for him any more.”

For the next two years, Shukla, who had previously made an award-winning documentary about the creation and struggle of an Indian opposition party, An Insignificant Man, essentially moved in with Kumar, filming him five days a week over that period. The result is an intimate portrait of a man struggling to preserve his conscience and freedom in the face of overwhelming hostility and political and commercial cynicism; a man trying, in Orwell’s terms, at 9pm every night, to tell the nation that two plus two actually equals four.

When I speak to Ravish Kumar himself on a long Zoom call, he describes himself now being “in exile” in his own country. He assumes our call is being monitored by his tormentors; before he joined it, he received the usual anonymous texts saying: “We will see you.” Once he left NDTV in November, he became “persona non grata” in Indian media, he says. He continues to try to get at the truth in the world’s largest democracy, researching and writing “about 8,000 words a day” for his YouTube broadcasts.

I wonder, looking back, when he first felt that things were falling apart? “It was June or July 2014,” he says. “I sensed that a kind of avalanche was coming in Indian media. At that time, many of my colleagues would say: ‘Well, power comes and power goes.’ And: ‘We have enough experience, Ravish, we have seen many leaders.’ But my gut was saying: ‘No, this is not something that has happened before. Something new is coming.’ In a very short span of time, the structures of newsrooms were demolished completely. That was not done step by step. It was done in one go.”

Shukla’s film contrasts Kumar’s meticulous efforts at reporting sectarian violence, or the desperate conditions in rural villages, with the shouty populist news channel Republic, which quickly became the Fox News of Indian media after Modi was elected prime minister. Republic’s excitable presenters are seen to fuel division and mistrust of the Country’s Minority (200 million) Muslim Population, to Routinely Call Political Opponents of the BJP Traitors, to promote Warmongering Against Pakistan and to neglect to report on the complex issues faced by ordinary Indians. In its manufactured culture wars and unhinged sloganeering, it is, you sense, the channel GB News aspires to be.

Now 51, Kumar, a history graduate, had by 2014 been at NDTV for 15 years, having risen from the mail room to become its most trusted and recognisable face. For a long time, the station supported his mission to call out what was happening elsewhere in the media. “NDTV started running a campaign that said: ‘We do not profit from hate,’” he says. “The owners were trying to save their core values. But in that process, everything became very tough. It was very tedious to always defend themselves.” Within the station, Kumar occasionally came under pressure to moderate his tone. “But if I said no to an editor,” he says, “they took it at once that this is my final word.”

The aftermath of sectarian clashes in Delhi in February 2020 between Hindus and Muslims protesting a contentious new citizenship law. Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP

Did it come as a shock to him how shallow the ethical foundations of much of the media proved to be? “I wasn’t shocked,” he says, “but I was very pained and deeply hurt that no one stood up to stop this. A lot of [journalists] started making adjustments and those adjustments led them into that room with no windows, only the voice of command, saying: ‘You have to do this.’ And that is what they did.”

The film records something of the inside story of that playbook of fake news that we have all witnessed happening in plain sight: the undermining of properly sourced information across social media, the seeding of conspiracy theories, the targeting of individual journalists and organisations. There were, and remain, pockets of resistance to this pressure, Kumar insists: “But the force of avalanche was such that nobody was untouched in their newsroom, whether he was a senior reporter or whether he was an intern.”

“I’m a very fearful person. I wasn’t ready to handle that mental trauma. It destroyed me.”

Kumar’s eventual resignation is referenced in the recent scathing Index on Censorship report into the escalating repression by Modi’s populist government. “It has the structures of democracy but it has weakened democracy’s functions… it has a media which is eager to demonstrate how nationalistic and patriotic it is in order to curry favour with the ruling party.”

That determination is fuelled in part by fear. Seven journalists are now in prison in India and many more have been subject to targeted harassment; eight journalists at the Wire website were charged with sedition in 2021 for reporting that the family of a protester, killed at an anti-government rally, believed he was shot by police. Other news organisations have been subject to blackouts, while some have been raided by police, including the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai, which appear to have been singled out after the corporation produced a two-part investigation into Modi’s alleged history in sectarian violence. India – the world’s most populous nation – has been consequently sliding down the UN’s human rights tables; among the top 10 nations that jails writers and journalists, it is the only “Nominally Democratic” one, according to PEN, the international charity that supports freedom of expression.

A threat received by Ravish Kumar, as shown in While We Watched. Photograph: Britdoc Films

Shukla’s film examines the effect that the wider climate had on Kumar’s mental health. “I’m a very fearful person,” he insists, in the face of plenty of evidence to the contrary. “I had this strong feeling that I should not do anything immoral, but I wasn’t ready to handle that mental process. It destroyed me. When they launched [the continuous] attacks on me on social media, I could not handle it. I was very terrified, petrified. NDTV understood I needed security – but I also needed counselling. I stopped sleeping. I was awake all the time assessing the threat to my life and my family.”

In addition to the constant wave of texts and calls from people promising to cut his throat, Kumar was pushed around in the street while working. On one occasion he was chased down the road by men with clubs and iron bars, only just making it to his car. The family – his wife is an academic and they have two teenage daughters – stopped going out together; on the rare occasions they did, he would walk on the other side of the street so they would not all be subjected to any attack.

“If TV news is designed to desensitise you, I wanted to use the same form and sensitise people.” — Vinay Shukla, director

Watching all that again on Shukla’s film, he says, was almost too much for him to bear. “The first time, I had to shut my eyes because I could not see myself again, going through that process. My daughters haven’t watched it yet,” he says, “My wife saw it and she was very saddened too, but she’s a rational person. She said that people who watched the film would be able to see the story of any journalist, not just me.” He smiles a little ruefully. “The other thing I was surprised and amused about,” he says, “was that I finally saw what Vinay had been doing filming me for so many months and years. I used to tell him every day that my life was not exciting: who wants to watch a man get up from the bed and go to work?”

Director Vinay Shukla.

The director trusts that his story has a wider reference than that. “I think of the film,” Shukla says, “as my love letter to journalism, so that people understand, really, the price that proper journalists have to pay to be able to do their job. We are living in a time of disinformation. The dehumanisation of journalists is [part of that].”

Shukla is just about of the generation who came of age with social media. “I used to watch the news,” he says. “But it used to make me anxious all the time.” Much of that anxiety, he suggests, is built-in with the attention deficit structure of television news channels, which jump quickly between crisis and disaster and outrage. He has used the fast-cut techniques for his own film – but in order to dwell thoughtfully on a single life. “There are lots of quick cuts [in While We Watched] but I was hoping to have the opposite impact. If TV news is designed to desensitise you, I wanted to use the same form and sensitise people, to do the complete opposite.”

He sees an increasing desire for that kind of slowness and depth of inquiry among an emerging generation of Indian documentary-makers, who are using the form as a counterpoint to the noisy chatter of the mainstream media; presenting proper complexity as a political act. Kumar recognises that opportunity and is encouraged to be exhibit A in it.

“I hope that whoever watches this film will see that resistance is possible,” he says. In the film, he insists that even if one person witnesses the truth, then the political and sectarian lies cannot prevail. “I have a very deep sense of gratitude to the community of viewers who support me,” he says. “They offered me anything, from a car, to a house, to money, to food. We do not know how many journalists have sacrificed their lives around the world to save this profession. I hope this film brings a ray of hope that it is not easy to kill journalism.”

The film is released in the UK and the US this month. Shukla is working hard to get it shown in India, lobbying cinemas and streaming platforms, referencing the documentary awards it has won at the Toronto international film festival and elsewhere. Still, as Kumar says, the culture of fear is such that: “I can’t imagine that anyone is saying: ‘Bring your film, I will put your big poster for it on the front of my cinema hall.’” Even so, he suggests, he is confident that the film will be seen: “Lots and lots of people have been asking me how they will be able to see this film in India. Everyone should watch this film. Mr Modi should watch this film.”

A video on Kumar’s YouTube channel, which has more than 6m subscribers. Photograph: Ravish Kumar / Youtube

Kumar is not hopeful that fundamental changes in the news media in India – equivalent to the dismantling of the BBC – can be reversed. The vested interests, including at his old channel NDTV, are now too great. The politically favoured billionaires have taken over.

There’s a point in the film where he suggests that “people don’t question what they see on TV”. Given some of the extremes of what they now see, does he imagine that they may start to question that more? “To destroy Indian democracy,” Kumar says, “Indian media destroyed itself first. And it’s now very difficult to change this, even if there is a regime change. The news anchors who are spreading hate lies will not go away overnight. This media will never return for democracy. That’s gone.”

He does believe, however, that politics may find a way to bypass those structures. “The problem with social media,” he says, “is that it is rarely getting first-hand information. In India – and elsewhere – we have seen that social media can run in parallel and [amplify] compromised mainstream media. For this reason, the political opposition in India is going for a lot of mass contact. Rahul Gandhi [the former president of the Indian National Congress party], for example, is constantly on the road. Rallies, meetings, travelling by bus, by car, on foot. I cannot give a deadline that next year’s election, 2024, will mark the sunrise of new democracy. But I can see that the force of those who believe in democracy is multiplying at a fast rate.”

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How, I wonder, before he finishes our call, is that colonial son Orwell viewed these days in his home town? “There is a museum to him,” Kumar says. “But most people are not very aware. It’s funny, over the years, I started talking about Nineteen Eighty-Four in my various programmes. Recently, the book has been translated into Hindi, along with Animal Farm. When [Donald] Trump was elected in the United States, I remember that Nineteen Eighty-Four suddenly became a very popular book to read and to buy.”

Perhaps, he suggests, that appetite will also be awakened in India. If so, the film of his life makes the perfect primer.

— “While We Watched” is in UK Cinemas from 14 July

#Youtube #Media #Extremist Hindus’ Fascist & Terrorist India #Documentary Films #Journalist Safety #South & Central Asia

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