When I open my Facebook, Whatsapp atleast one of two posts
are either glorifying our Prime Minister or mockery of political leaders,
sometime including Modi. It is becoming a trend just to forward messages of
your favourite political leaders, defamation of your unfavoured political leaders
that goes viral to many many in few minutes. It is easy for everyone just to make
a click, but do you think it is a right practice? Is that okay to forward
political messages to our known or unknown group of our friends & relatives,
topics we hesitate to discuss when we meet them in person?
Look at glorifying the personality cult,
The so called ‘Educated crowd’, who criticised the downtrodden
people for their craziness for MGR in Tamilnadu and NTR in Andhra those days,
are now adopting the same for Modi. People believed MGR is the super hero, the messiah
to save Tamilnadu, who can never go wrong, and started vehemently opposing their
critics. They started viewing opposition parties as real villains for their
hero and abuse them (off course, the opposition were no less in their part to build
their own cult and counterattack). Leader’s strength doesn’t exist in their
policies or governance but people’s blind passion with them. I am not commenting
anything on MGR or NTR administration here, but I am stressing the point people
had lost their sense to think neutrally. I don’t think any difference now between MGR craziness
and Modi craziness, the madness has now shifted from uneducated mass to
educated few.
To some extent Rajiv Gandhi enjoyed this, when he became
Prime minister in 1984, same evening after Indira Gandhi was assassinated in
the morning. That time he was just an MP, not even a cabinet minister, who
returned India three years back, was given a position of PM for the world’s
biggest democratic country. Not considering him a novice to politics, the
sympathy factor and the fact being a young handsome PM, who tours a lot to
bring India image, elevated him as the greatest PM of India and one of the
important world leaders. Charisma has been built on him as visionary who can
lead India to 21st century and people had natural inclination towards
him. Ironically, same set of educated mass who crazily
supported Rajiv Gandhi (and Indira’s regime as well) now forwarding messages
how congress spoiled the country for 40 years. Other ‘Social media innocence’ Prime
Ministers like PV Narasima Rao, Vajpayee & Manmohan Singh are open to
credits or critics only based on their
work and policies, who could not build that kind of image.
Engaging the media partner for election campaigns was initiated
by Congress during 1989 elections, where Rediffusion, a top most ad agency of
India, was placed to promote ‘Brand Congress’ when all the opposition formed
National Front. In 2004, BJP government signed with another agency for their ‘India
Shining’ campaign. Both campaigns aimed at promoting their political party as
saviour of India, but not aimed at individual branding and miserably failed. In
2014, Modi took a different route with social media. He engaged Prashant
Kishore, a political strategist who employs professionals from IITs & IIMs
along with other top agencies like O&M, Madison world. They all worked
together and successfully created ‘Brand Modi’ instead of ‘Brand BJP’. The forceful
reflections like ‘Modi is the messiah of India’, ‘India fights second
independence’, ‘Modi will emulate Gujarat success’, made people to provide massive
mandate to BJP, and of course, also with the help of previous corrupted
congress government with their series of scams.
The same Prashant Kishore was hired by Nitish Kumar for recent
Bihar elections, which worked against Modi. I read an article in a news
magazine that Congress is trying to place him for upcoming UP elections, and
DMK is trying their luck for Tamilnadu elections.
BJP now understood the concept of ‘Voters as promoters’ and extended
engaging their supporters to keep spreading ‘Brand Modi’ across social media
even after elections. BJP voters are persuaded
not to differentiate between liking towards a political leader and promoting the
political leader. The indirect motto is ‘Since
you voted for Modi, you need to promote his brand, need to belittle our
political opponents, accept whatever he does is best because India has no
options’ and identified social media as the best source for it. I hardly find people in social media who could
stand-up and say – “Yes... we definitely wanted change hence voted BJP to
power, but doesn’t mean I should keep supporting everything this government does;
I stand by my own evaluation”
Here I am definitely not contemplating good or bad about the
current government, only claiming we unnecessarily engage in a party’s brand building
exercise without being a party member. Appreciating or criticising this government
can be issue based, a different subject altogether.
Now look at negative Memes,
This trend cached-up with Tamil nadu politics as well last
year, as many political parties created their own ‘Memes Factory’ to revenge their
opponents. We also involve ourselves in this tussle, and shamelessly forward
these, again based our political prejudice. The nastiest allegations which DMK
& ADMK promulgating in the stages last 40 years, are now available in the
form of Memes and we share it with all without an iota of embarrassment. The worst affected in this brawl is
Vijayakanth, whose image is totally tarnished.
Here in Tamilnadu, people generally forward messages or memes
with poignant and personal criticisms of Modis, Sonias, Rahuls, Karunanidhis, Vijayakanths,
Lalus but not Jayalalitha. Doesn’t mean she is not subject to any criticisms,
but the fear factor prevents people from pressing the forward button. Many
people are arrested for spreading messages against CM in Facebook, Twitter and
Whatsapp. We can forward messages that claim Modi as Hindutva terrorist, declare
Sonia as Christian patriot, make mockery of Karunanidhi’s family members, craft
Rahul or Vijaykanth as foolish ducks, without
any fear, but settle only with mild comments against Jayalalitha. So we work
with a very clear mindset – “I can forward any malicious message against
someone, I can push my political will to my entire group in social media, not
just bothered others may have different political stand, as long as it doesn’t concern
my safety”.
Are we just unpaid workers for a political party to spread
their messages and memes across? Are we not aware these political parties utilize
our gullible mindset for their benefit? Are we really aware where these messages
are originating from and we are being trapped to forward? Are you aware you are
communicating your biased opinion to thousands of people who may have different
political affiliations?
We have no right to pollute other’s mind with the
information that we are not sure of. Allow everyone to think on their own. The worst
destiny in this county is likeness towards a political leader goes only with
perceptions and not with clear thought process. If we really want to appreciate or criticise any
government policies or political stand, let us write on our own with clear
facts and sensible contemplation. Just popularizing our favourite political
leader’s image by liking his facebook updates or forwarding memes, will only make
us an unpaid cheap worker for them. We are unknowingly losing our self-dignity,
which we keep ridiculing the Dravidian party
workers all along – for their flattering, pasting posters, putting flags and
flexes in the middle of the road, which we currently do ‘digitally’ sitting at
home.
If this trend goes on, we will not be electing any political
party in the next election, but only a ‘Best Advertising Agency’.
