Promise Results Vs Action Results
By: Amit Bhushan Date: 5th Feb. 2017
With elections in the major state, political slugfest seems at its peak. On one side we have Netas and parties raising banner of Results that may have been obtained against the promises. On the other hand, parties want to discuss Actions alone rather than the overall results obtained by it for the people. The second case here is trickier. This is because both the party at the center as well as the party or alliance in the state are answerable but both have been elusive. The commercial news media on its count is merely a carrier of the rhetoric from both sides. What people can easily perceive is a failure of job growth as well as a lack of promised unemployment benefits to the youth. However discussions in the commercial news media would steer around the Notebandi action against black money or the Highways et al around development plank. Then of course we have Netas who would pitch up the promise of ‘development of mandir’ as well as ‘development of backward & minorities including reservations’. The last has largely become irrelevant although Netas unable to identify and sell ‘new issues’ still continue to rely on the ‘re-cycled slogans and the ‘independent’ commercial news media also continues to service their audience in accordance, rather than ‘question’ the Netas.
What has been the biggest failure of the commercial news media is that it fails to raise the issue of the quality of governance and link this to re-elections or vote seeking planks of parties’ basis which people may decide to formulate their political opinion. This gives Netas an opportunity whereby which if one side of NEtas get beaten a bit more, the other side of the NEtas claim that they are nothing short of a global phenomenon and are ably supported to do so by the elements within the independent commercial news media with all its claim to be a guardian of public interests, free speech and being the forth pillar of democracy.There have been literary ‘no questions’ why processed food sector has not received any fillip in the country of 1.3 billion, even though the sector is known to be a large employer. While we see support or opposition to Food Retail FDI and Netas with some claiming to be ‘acclaimed economists’ can sell the proposition as job generating as well as streamlining the supply chain, but fail to explain any rationale. So we have the ‘Khet ke Aaloo’ questioning, with the commercial news media sticking to 'public issues' rather than 'one of opinion in social media'. Of course, the rants of the Netas in government around Naxalism or Anti-country nature doesn’t help, but I am sure that such planks doesn’t work and would become fairly evident in the elections when parties are wooing the ‘Charged ones’ for alliance in some of the states. Basically what Netas do not understand is that when they christen rather ‘peaceful protestors or political workers’ as such, it perhaps convinces some people that at least some action is happening somewhere (even if this may not be the real case). So action lovers or seekers are attracted towards that end simply because the alternatives are trying to de-market this one rather trying to be an action center on their own.
What however may be a concern arena is that the parties seem to be lacking alternative policy sets regards macro factors. This is mainly on account that parties present a ‘promise’ manifestos rather than a possible budgets for next 5 years detailing how within the resources, their performance would be different. This can be further substantiated with some other laws and policy around issues that the leaders may want to canvass for support. While a projected budget can be a more realistic way of presenting what may be possible to be done in a realistic manner, however what may be lacking is parties and Netas who may use such method and come up while negotiating the electoral mine successfully. What basically the political competition is about presently, is promises and perception management. Evasive Netas, not wanting to face questions but simply walk away brandishing their super star status trying to make hay in sunshine. The other issue is behavior of the national political parties themselves. Herein if national political party (or any other party) decides to collaborate with any specific party, then all questions over its past are made to seem irrelevant and quite strangely the ‘independent’ commercial news media (at least a section of it) follows suite. It is the other parties and Netas who may still seem to be questioning, however the overall balance is generally tilted towards the new combination. Now there might be some exceptions to this wherein even the new combination is browbeaten, but such cases are rather limited. In fact the journos need to work on to explore & debate this phenomenon otherwise will continue to be overwhelmed by the ‘social media’.