Indian mainstream media has been dangerously biased all these years. The distinct leftist leaning is often shamelessly displayed in their reportage and narrative. The bootlicking of anything remotely related to the Nehru-Gandhi clan and the disdain towards anything Indic with roots in Hinduism is a regular feature in most of India’s mainstream media scene, be it print or broadcast.
The blatant leftist and pro-Congress bias had never been more evident than the post-2014 era after PM Modi came to power with a thumping majority, the first single-party majority in almost three decades in India’s political history. Left-leaning media had almost immediately started hallucinating. The cries of ‘fear’, ‘intolerance’ and ‘Minorities under attack’ has been peddled a number of times by these media houses and the self-proclaimed ‘secular liberal’ brigade that employs each other’s children and praises each other using these mediums.
As elections draw to a close, the flimsy veil of neutrality has been shed and many in the media have virtually joined in the political battle. The article published in The Telegraph today, written by its editor R Rajagopal is another such acutely politically biased propaganda in the garb of ‘opinion’
The article published in the Telegraph today paints utterly elitist, self-righteous and sanctimonious propaganda insinuating that the winning of the Modi government in 2014 was a sign of India’s deterioration and if Modi gets re-elected, all hopes of our redemption as a society will be lost.
It peddles the imaginary fears often used by leftists, that their children are afraid, their Muslim friends are afraid and they themselves are afraid in Modi’s India. In this article, the writer claims that in post-2014 India, people have been making insensitive comments about other religions inside train compartments, something that, as per the writer’s insinuation had never happened before.
The writer also claims that parents in post-2014 India have made it a point to check their children’s lunch box, fearing whether they had packed some ‘leftover beef curry’. The same fear-mongering that these ‘secular liberals’ have been propagating as the impending apocalypse if Modi remains in power.
Going a step further and dismissing the people’s mandate that brought Modi to power, the writer even sermonises that if the people want to bring Modi to power again, then the people (or the country) will be beyond redemption.
Using underhanded tactics to peddle Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee as the crusaders of justice, the writer even claims that the question is not whether these people are capable, the question is whether we will allow them to change us. Further deepening the ambit of guilt on the people, by insinuating if they do not choose any of the above mentioned as their leader, they are doomed and don’t deserve to be saved.
MP Swapan Dasgupta has pointed the blatant political bias out. Drawing attention to the narrative of the article, Dasgupta has stated that if The Telegraph holds such biases, it should at least own it and make its readers aware of its political affiliation.
I am not given to commenting on the views of individual writers. However, when the editor of @ttindia says that the removal of Modi is a “righteous” task, it constitutes the publication’s statement of purpose. It is only fair that readers should be aware of it. pic.twitter.com/eheudqNKlQ
— Swapan Dasgupta (@swapan55) May 14, 2019
Attacking everything from Modi’s humble beginnings to foreign policy and economy, the writer presents a rather sad, constricted view of whiney criticism against Modi, picking up some busted myth from here and another dismissed claim from somewhere else, he attempts to paint a picture of a great humble Manmohan Singh versus a verbose, boastful Modi, assuming perhaps that the people of India can be shamed or guilt tripped enough to forget a non-responsive government post 26/11 or the monumental scams that took place under the rule of the Harvard economist PM.
The Telegraph, known for its headlines like ‘Aunty National’ when it is targetting the BJP leaders and singing the glory of Mamata Banerjee and Congress leaders has been called out by many over the months.
One of the many amusing things I hear nowadays is that Telegraph is anti-establishment. Telegraph is a Calcutta-based paper whose new management is very pro TMC which is the establishment in Kolkata. See this headline where Mamata Banerjee is Eisenhower & Modi is Hitler. pic.twitter.com/Bg7vxJAPPU
— Arnab Ray (@greatbong) January 20, 2019
Telegraph editor doesn’t have the guts to say a word on Mamata arresting people for memes.
Saari bahaduri Aunty National jaisi headlines me nikalti hai https://t.co/Ds3D2MOscs— Gappistan Radio (@GappistanRadio) May 13, 2019
Then of course there is the Telegraph headline today. Celebrated by the entire establishment media when it plumbs newer depths every day with its vituperative, abusive headlines. Does bold journalism mean prostrating before Mamata, being durbari to dynasty? pic.twitter.com/3ykkX883ml
— Chowkidar Akhilesh Mishra (@amishra77) January 24, 2019
The Telegraph is well known for its Mamata bhakti and Modi hatred often exhibited through its headlines. It has spread dangerous lies regarding Polio Vaccines, attempted to paint Kanwariyas as perpetrators of violence when they were in fact, the victims and many such narratives. In another instant, they had deciphered the Sanskrit word ‘Purushartha’ as ‘manhood’ and had claimed that Smriti Irani has questioned Rahul Gandhi’s manhood.
