PM can’t remain silent

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regular address to the nation, through the AIR broadcast Mann Ki Baat on some Sundays which is picked up by television channels, can be thought of as an extension of his social media presence through Twitter that helps Mr Modi control the information he sends out through the method of one-way communication, a device that leaves no room for questioning.

It is pertinent that this PM has not invited the media for a press conference in the 13 months that he has been in office, although openness and transparency were key elements of his election campaign.

The Mann Ki Baat last Sunday was more awaited than any of its nine predecessors. His political friends and foes alike, and more than them the people of the country, eagerly looked forward to Mr Modi indicating his mind on the deep-going, high-level political controversies pointing to corruption of BJP top-rankers, including Union Cabinet ministers as well as the Rajasthan chief minister and a minister in the Maharashtra government.

By steering clear, the PM gave the impression of riding roughshod over public opinion, indeed on public expectations. It is not as if he has always avoided controversial subjects. In his special radio programme, he had waxed eloquent on the issue of the ordinance brought by his government to oblige farmers to sell their land to urban and industrial interests, a prospective legislation opposed strongly by Opposition parties, and some in the ruling NDA too. Therefore, skipping the current controversies on Sunday looked like evasion.