Why Parties don’t want to be Issue Focussed

Why Parties don't want to be Issue Focussed​

By: Amit Bhushan Date: 19th June 2016

Our commercial news media continues with People focussed debates instead of focussing on issues. Like there seems to be a lack of debate regarding low interest rates leading to inflation and one of the principal cause of electoral upsets. If the crude oil fall had not rescued this government, it may not have been possible for it to score as highly as it eventually managed and domestic energy prices (diesel/petrol) seem to be already back to threshold level of comfort.

We again have issues with credit allocation or its inadequacy amongst SMEs and with the possibility of the venture funds drying up, might start to again become an issue. This is while the movement to punish unworthy investor bent on seeking ever more support from banking and resurrection & restoration of the credit markets from their clutches has yielded little results.

The political parties in opposition or in government like the debate to remain focussed on People or Bhakti because this gives them freedom to twist policies depending on who or what they want protected which often some of their moneyed supporters rather than any principles. The commercial news media normally has incentives to sing along as the monied people have the ability to twist the news markets by extension of their support as well as influence towards their choice of news media. So debate on principle, policies and procedures to be adopted and their fair implementation is ignored for the trivial People/Bhakti oriented debates.

Not to say that there hasn't been any improvement in commercial news media since the time yours truly has begun highlighting these issues. There has been improvement like media successfully denuding campaign around what is euphemistically called polarization in politics about a UP town. However what is needed is efforts to find new to the bank actually getting one of the loans under the schemes in last two years instead of old bank customers being accommodated/aligned to new schemes or number of loss making bank branches and extent of political hand/policy failure in lack of repayment of loans in such branches.

Such efforts will bring out the focus on job creation which is the number priority issue in the country as identified by "all" political parties but seems to have been covered fleetingly by the commercial news media so far.Education, Health & Hygiene/Swachta seems to have been some of the other issues touted by the government as well as the socialists. I have doubts if people would be listening to any party with some exception of a much beaten down newbie party on these issues (although it may not score high on say job creation). Select cities (including some unsung ones) may be an exception to the previous statement where parties/municipal leaders may have focussed.

With the political muddle where these seem to be partially in municipal and state domain with higher education lying divided between the centre and the state; their seems to be almost a complete lack of ownership for the end results, but a clamour to accommodate political supporters into government jobs for which these sector remain attractive to parties. With job creation moving firmly into private hands, the pressure seems to be building up for these sectors to perform and come upto some shape to meet the new demands.

While there has been some hype from the top political leadership, however ground level propaganda which was already quite wane now seems to have vanished. It is also noted that political parties in nearly all states with exception of Chattisgarh seems to have almost no issues around effective of ration distribution for some not so known but well understood (by public) reasons, in any case. Coming to issues around pollution. While this issue was highlighted by media but there seems to be insignificant movement in developing Gas station network or piped LNG to households even in NCR where pollution was raised as a major issue.

This is while the sector could attract investments as well as result in job creation while making available a cheaper alternative fuel to people. The government seems to be focussed on the demands of automobile industry alone which wants protection of its investments while ensuring the government remains focussed to invest much of tax payers funds as well as borrowed funds on roads to keep it afloat (it also allows political leaders to keep monied supporters engaged with for contracts).

While public may not be demanding outright banishment, people would prefer government to keep investing in waterways as well as LNG grids so that the industry remains focussed to improve fuel efficiency further in order to compete effectively with alternate fuels/transport options.Then of course efficiency of the investment in irrigation sector seems to be another area of neglect by parties as well as commercial news media. This is even as nearly everyone in media as well as political parties seem to be in full agreement that agri-sector is a major employer and its neglect makes or breaks political fortunes.

While in one northern state, the issue seem to be around how to protect the water wastage to support agriculturist remain focussed on water gulping crops such as paddy, instead of promoting other profitable options or ensuring better returns for other crops; I mean why can't Raagi biscuits be distributed in Aaganwadi or corn seed storages created by government so that farmers start taking interest in alternative crops as well. There can also be some blending norm for imported palm or soyabean oil with domestic corn oil to support a better mix of crops for farmers. In the crucial state, there seems to be issue around a lack of movement of the central scheme of river interlinking which has allowed parched areas to remain dry and no seems interested to understand the cause except of course yours truly.

I am sure people in the parched areas would be concerned about the lack of movement of the central scheme at the behest of the state authorities or at behest of the bureaucrats at central level itself.All in all, despite of the political leaders and parties being on brink of abject failure, electoral politics remains focussed on leaders with the commercial news media's full support.

This is even when nearly all people involved in the business of politics as well as the business of commercial news know that it is issues which cannot be side-lined or denied or wished away. It is not just the political leaders in the government that likes to focus on people right or wrong, but also the opposition which keeps away from the likes of GST while keeping focus on political appointees' entry/exit all of which may not be entirely pointless though. Remaining focussed on issues would force political leaders to do something about it, however a focus on People/Bhakti involves superficial change whereby which political parties will change a face/s and continue with their agenda which is around corruption, self-promotion and nepotism rather than development as it witnessed today. So we know what the parties and commercial news media is really about.

 

[Swaswati Borpuzari]

Political parties often find themselves navigating a complex landscape of competing interests, public expectations, and strategic considerations. One of the primary reasons why parties may choose not to be issue-focused is the need to maintain broad-based support. By avoiding a narrow focus on specific issues, parties can appeal to a wider range of voters who may have divergent views on various topics. This broad appeal is crucial for winning elections, as it allows parties to form coalitions of support that span different demographics, regions, and ideological leanings. Additionally, issue-focused campaigns can sometimes backfire, especially if the chosen issues are divisive or alienate significant segments of the electorate. Parties may also avoid becoming too issue-focused to prevent being pigeonholed into a particular corner of the political spectrum, which can limit their ability to appeal to centrist voters or swing constituencies. Moreover, in a media environment where attention spans are short and news cycles are rapid, parties that spread their message across a variety of topics can maintain relevance and avoid being overshadowed by a single issue that might not resonate with all their supporters. Finally, political parties often have to balance the interests of their base with the broader electorate, and being too issue-focused can make it difficult to navigate these competing demands. Instead, they may opt for a more general platform that emphasizes values, principles, and overarching goals, which can provide a more flexible and inclusive approach to governance and electoral strategy.

 

[Dhruv Bindhani]

Why Parties don't want to be Issue Focussed​

By: Amit Bhushan Date: 19th June 2016

Our commercial news media continues with People focussed debates instead of focussing on issues. Like there seems to be a lack of debate regarding low interest rates leading to inflation and one of the principal cause of electoral upsets. If the crude oil fall had not rescued this government, it may not have been possible for it to score as highly as it eventually managed and domestic energy prices (diesel/petrol) seem to be already back to threshold level of comfort.

We again have issues with credit allocation or its inadequacy amongst SMEs and with the possibility of the venture funds drying up, might start to again become an issue. This is while the movement to punish unworthy investor bent on seeking ever more support from banking and resurrection & restoration of the credit markets from their clutches has yielded little results.

The political parties in opposition or in government like the debate to remain focussed on People or Bhakti because this gives them freedom to twist policies depending on who or what they want protected which often some of their moneyed supporters rather than any principles. The commercial news media normally has incentives to sing along as the monied people have the ability to twist the news markets by extension of their support as well as influence towards their choice of news media. So debate on principle, policies and procedures to be adopted and their fair implementation is ignored for the trivial People/Bhakti oriented debates.

Not to say that there hasn't been any improvement in commercial news media since the time yours truly has begun highlighting these issues. There has been improvement like media successfully denuding campaign around what is euphemistically called polarization in politics about a UP town. However what is needed is efforts to find new to the bank actually getting one of the loans under the schemes in last two years instead of old bank customers being accommodated/aligned to new schemes or number of loss making bank branches and extent of political hand/policy failure in lack of repayment of loans in such branches.

Such efforts will bring out the focus on job creation which is the number priority issue in the country as identified by "all" political parties but seems to have been covered fleetingly by the commercial news media so far.Education, Health & Hygiene/Swachta seems to have been some of the other issues touted by the government as well as the socialists. I have doubts if people would be listening to any party with some exception of a much beaten down newbie party on these issues (although it may not score high on say job creation). Select cities (including some unsung ones) may be an exception to the previous statement where parties/municipal leaders may have focussed.

With the political muddle where these seem to be partially in municipal and state domain with higher education lying divided between the centre and the state; their seems to be almost a complete lack of ownership for the end results, but a clamour to accommodate political supporters into government jobs for which these sector remain attractive to parties. With job creation moving firmly into private hands, the pressure seems to be building up for these sectors to perform and come upto some shape to meet the new demands.

While there has been some hype from the top political leadership, however ground level propaganda which was already quite wane now seems to have vanished. It is also noted that political parties in nearly all states with exception of Chattisgarh seems to have almost no issues around effective of ration distribution for some not so known but well understood (by public) reasons, in any case. Coming to issues around pollution. While this issue was highlighted by media but there seems to be insignificant movement in developing Gas station network or piped LNG to households even in NCR where pollution was raised as a major issue.

This is while the sector could attract investments as well as result in job creation while making available a cheaper alternative fuel to people. The government seems to be focussed on the demands of automobile industry alone which wants protection of its investments while ensuring the government remains focussed to invest much of tax payers funds as well as borrowed funds on roads to keep it afloat (it also allows political leaders to keep monied supporters engaged with for contracts).

While public may not be demanding outright banishment, people would prefer government to keep investing in waterways as well as LNG grids so that the industry remains focussed to improve fuel efficiency further in order to compete effectively with alternate fuels/transport options.Then of course efficiency of the investment in irrigation sector seems to be another area of neglect by parties as well as commercial news media. This is even as nearly everyone in media as well as political parties seem to be in full agreement that agri-sector is a major employer and its neglect makes or breaks political fortunes.

While in one northern state, the issue seem to be around how to protect the water wastage to support agriculturist remain focussed on water gulping crops such as paddy, instead of promoting other profitable options or ensuring better returns for other crops; I mean why can't Raagi biscuits be distributed in Aaganwadi or corn seed storages created by government so that farmers start taking interest in alternative crops as well. There can also be some blending norm for imported palm or soyabean oil with domestic corn oil to support a better mix of crops for farmers. In the crucial state, there seems to be issue around a lack of movement of the central scheme of river interlinking which has allowed parched areas to remain dry and no seems interested to understand the cause except of course yours truly.

I am sure people in the parched areas would be concerned about the lack of movement of the central scheme at the behest of the state authorities or at behest of the bureaucrats at central level itself.All in all, despite of the political leaders and parties being on brink of abject failure, electoral politics remains focussed on leaders with the commercial news media's full support.

This is even when nearly all people involved in the business of politics as well as the business of commercial news know that it is issues which cannot be side-lined or denied or wished away. It is not just the political leaders in the government that likes to focus on people right or wrong, but also the opposition which keeps away from the likes of GST while keeping focus on political appointees' entry/exit all of which may not be entirely pointless though. Remaining focussed on issues would force political leaders to do something about it, however a focus on People/Bhakti involves superficial change whereby which political parties will change a face/s and continue with their agenda which is around corruption, self-promotion and nepotism rather than development as it witnessed today. So we know what the parties and commercial news media is really about.

This political article is a masterclass in persuasive communication. The writer's writing style is remarkably incisive and authoritative, cutting through complex issues with clarity and conviction. There's a palpable sense of purpose in every sentence, driving the argument forward with intellectual rigor. The structure of the piece is strategically designed to build a compelling case, carefully introducing evidence and counterpoints in a way that maximizes their impact. Each section contributes meaningfully to the overall narrative, leading the reader towards a well-reasoned conclusion. Critically, the clarity with which the political landscape and proposed solutions are articulated is exemplary, leaving no ambiguity about the writer's stance or the implications of their analysis. This is not just reporting; it's a powerful and accessible contribution to public discourse.