Back in July 2011, an energetic reporter from a prominent media house rushed to make a call to his office, both excited and concerned. He was doing his best to convince his colleague on the other end that what he was reporting was a major breaking news story. Speaking loudly, he knew he could easily be overheard, he said: “You must understand, Rahul [Gandhi] Ji is an SPG protectee. There has to be a three-cordon security around him. A few people moved closer to him because the outer third cordon, managed by the state police, was missing. The second cordon wasn’t very effective either. It was the alert Youth Congress volunteers who stopped the intruders before the SPG arrived.”
The reporter had covered Congress for several years, particularly Gandhi’s itineraries, almost like an embedded journalist. His pitch was so strong that a few of his colleagues joined him in trying to sell the same “breaking story” to their respective media outlets. Gandhi had made a surprise visit to the villages of Bhatta-Parsaul in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, to “expose” the atrocities committed by the Mayawati government and oppose the land acquisition for the Noida-Agra Yamuna Expressway.
These were the years when many media houses seemed enamoured with Gandhi, seeing him as an angry young man with a touch of worldly innocence. He made headlines in newspapers and graced the covers of prominent weeklies. In many ways, he was portrayed as the conscience keeper of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, beyond the hyped National Advisory Council (NAC).
It was said he was so virtuous that, despite being the principal claimant to become Prime Minister at any moment, he chose not to. This was seen as an extraordinary quality in politics.
In the 2009 general election, Congress made headlines by winning 22 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh, and party backroom strategists credited this success to Gandhi. Under the guidance of Digvijay Singh, his foot march from Bhatta-Parsaul to Aligarh was seen as a way to build momentum for the 2012 UP Assembly elections.
The mention of the reporter’s high-octane enthusiasm is important because, despite the media buzz, nothing very positive was happening on the ground for the Congress’s then-crown prince. The local response was, at best, tepid, and at worst, indifferent. Yet, broadcast media kept the story running all day, and print media filled their front pages with laboriously crafted stories.
The 2012 Uttar Pradesh election results delivered a severe blow to the mainstream media’s romanticisation. Congress could only win 28 seats in the 403-member state assembly, and the party was completely routed in areas where Gandhi had conducted his foot march. It was also an election where national media predictions went horribly wrong. The media continued to chase the Rahul Gandhi story, while the real story on the ground was the rise of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav.
However, the love affair wasn’t entirely over. In the run-up to the 2014 parliamentary elections, Gandhi was again portrayed as the “Warrior Prince”. Since he couldn’t blame himself, Gandhi turned his frustration towards the media and his advocacy for the farmers of Bhatta-Parsaul. His argument was that by speaking out for farmers and highlighting their suffering, he had angered business interests and, by extension, media owners. From that point, the media either targeted or ignored him. He conveniently overlooked the fact that the 2012 Uttar Pradesh election results had marked a turning point. It wasn’t a complete break, but the media’s love for him had lost its blinding intensity.
He conveniently forgets that the Jewar Airport and allied business establishments are being built in the same area where he once led an agitation. It’s anyone’s guess how much the farmers and local people in the area have benefitted in the long run.
Since the 2012 Uttar Pradesh elections, there have been the 2014, 2019, and 2019 parliamentary elections, as well as over 50 assembly elections. Each time, Gandhi has failed to make a significant impact. Who can he possibly blame? Blaming the media is the most convenient excuse for him, deflecting attention from the real reasons behind the party’s continued losses. Of course, the Election Commission and EVMs also serve as convenient scapegoats for his defeats.
“Ambani-Adani media” is a term he uses mockingly, an insult aimed at hardworking journalists. He would call them “slaves” of their owners, use derogatory phrases like “Hawa Nikal Gayi”, ask them to pronounce their caste, or inquire about the caste of their media outlet’s owners. Anyone asking a serious question would be branded a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plant, pushing the BJP agenda. He would tell them they might as well wear a BJP badge on their chest before asking such questions. On each of these occasions, he is seen enjoying himself, with a group of sycophants laughing and cheering along. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a press conference, a public rally, or his Yatra.
The media has changed, that’s true, but Gandhi doesn’t seem to understand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rise on the national scene and the Congress’s decline coincided with the growth of digital and social media, where questions are asked and comments made more freely and effectively. As for corporate houses entering the media space, any working journalist would tell him that working conditions, pay structures, and perks have improved significantly compared to the past.
Rahul Gandhi must understand that mainstream media is still relatively kind and soft towards him and his party. It’s not for nothing that terms like “Lutyens Media” and “Khan Market Gang” have become popular. He seems to expect the media to be his mouthpiece and fight his political battles against the Modi regime on his behalf. He needs to remember that he must fight his own battles. Calling names and attacking individual journalists will not help him. In fact, it may be counterproductive.
(The author is Consulting Editor, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author