Modi, Media and Masala:It was an interesting day in Gandhinagar

It was interesting day in Gandhinagar.

A battery of media persons and cameras was waiting for Chief Minister Narendra Modi from early morning. Then at around 11.00 a bomb disposal squad arrived at Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team office campus. This indicated that Modi would be coming here at any time. It was then revealed that Modi will arrive at 12 noon.

Some TV channels had also deployed camera persons outside the official residence of Modi. They started showing Modi’s convoy first and then the cameras at SIT office captured arrival of Modi’s convoy.

Dressed in white kurta, Modi before entering the SIT office building, joined his hands in Namashkar mudra towards the media. Imidiately the leader of opposition in Gujarat Shaktisinh Gohil gave a comment to several TV channels that Modi was waving hand like he was there for some great work. Actually Modi had not waved his hand, and Namashkar mudra was a good gasture. God knows, the Congress leader found what bad even in this act!

Now Modi was inside, and the TV channels had to pass their time. They initially said, Modi’s SIT date would last for an hour or two. Then they continued to correct their statement upto 5.15 when Modi was out.

When Modi was with SIT inside a building, it was great fun to watch the national news channels. There are few or almost no committed comedy TV channels in India because the news channels provide enough material to laugh.

While NDTV which predictably would show something against Modi was repeatedly showing ‘Ab Aaya Unt Pahaad ke Niche’, the CNN-IBN was asking again and again that why Modi was questioned after eight years, why not before! Star News brought Kingshuk Nag as subject expert. It is well known that this man ex-resident editor of Times of India in Ahmedabad has anti-Modi mentality. India TV started showing Zakiya Jafri’s interview so as some other news channels. The most funny one was IBN7 where anchors were shouting(as always) throughout the afternoon. As the time was passing on, the channels started building an impression like Modi would be arrested soon after the SIT date and he would be given death punishment in Bangladesh or Karachi. It was fun when Rajdeep Sardesai’s channel was passing remark that why Modi was present on the ground after Sabarmati express burnt instead of Haren Pandya. Perhaps Mr Sardesai doesn’t know that Haren Pandya was not Home Minister. It was Gordhan Zadafiya who was the Home minister on that day. Haren Pandya was Revenue Minister.

But then at 5.15 pm Modi stepped out of the SIT office and demonstrated his willingness to meet the media. So then the live telecast started on almost all news channels of India. People were waiting for this for five hours. And contrary to impression created by the media for last several hours, Mr. Modi was confident, in upbeat mood, smiling, cracking a joke, passing witty comments and very much media friendly!

Modi’s several lines were like ‘Sau Sunar Ki Ek Luhar Ki’. He asked the media persons whether they had tea, coffee and butter milk or not, as he had instructed his men to arrange that for media!

Soon after Modi’s few lines on camera, it was clear that SIT date was not a bunch of troubles but it was rather a golden opportunity for this man – Narendra Modi to prove himself innocent(that he was and he is so far as Godhra and post Godhra is concerned) and to come out clean to lead the nation in 2014.

So the media, the p-secular champions and foreign funded NGOs all felled in great disappointment after looking at Modi’s verbal, face and body language on camera. Therefore the TV channels played down the event in the evening and also in the night when Modi appeared before SIT again for second round of investigation.

But the worst mood was seen on the faces of Congress workers in Gujarat who firmly believe that whenever the Godhra issue or an issue of encounters of criminals pop up, it helps Modi and BJP tremendously, because the people of Gujarat are always with Modi and BJP on this issue. One observer said, “the Congress leaders performed well in ongoing Gujarat assembly session. They revealed scandals and corruption of Modi government. But then this SIT date just washed out their all good efforts. Whenever Congress tries to build some roads to connect the people with the party in Gujarat, something or other related to Godhra or encounters comes in light and spoil our efforts. Moreover Congress party leaders in Maharashtra are opposing Amitabh Bachchan due to a reason that he is endorsing Gujarat. In such circumstances how Congress would be able to win the next Gujarat assembly election?”