Tough questions the media refuses to ask about Andhra politics
When the creation of Telangana was announced in July 2013, I was in transit for the night in Hyderabad as I proceeded to Pune for some personal work. Not wanting to shell out a lot of money just for a few hours of rest and remain in proximity to the Begumpet station, I chose to stay at a nondescript "working men’s hostel" that provided a bed and food for cheap.
As the news broke I felt a sense of confusion, as I was a proponent of united Andhra. Nevertheless, I wasn’t too surprised because in the preceding election of 2009, the TRS and TDP were part of the grand alliance.
As I went to bed that night, I felt that common daily life would not be affected and there would be assurances for the residual state of Andhra Pradesh. Most parties had come to an apparent consensus over Telangana (both TDP and YSRCP had written letters supporting the creating of Telangana).
I completely misread the situation because almost immediately there were protests and a clear rift emerged within most political parties based in the region. I felt this too shall pass with time. However, there was sustained media coverage and emotions were whipped up.
I admit that I fell prey to the rhetoric, as my initial feeling of indifference soon morphed into rage and a sense of profound injustice. The media instead of posing questions to the political parties over the doublespeak, settled for sensationalism, which further stoked the cinders of hatred.
In the next one year, which led up to the general (and state) elections of 2014, there was acrimony across the residual state and regular life came to a halt. The continued reporting about disturbances and arson by miscreants only sustained an atmosphere of political psychosis, where people didn’t realise that the protesting parties had consented to bifurcation, implicitly and explicitly.
During campaign for the 2014 election, both BJP and TDP leaders, including Narendra Modi, Venkaiah Naidu and Chandrababu Naidu, promised to accord Andhra Pradesh special category status.
After the elections, the government claimed the state was not eligible for special category status and brazenly ruled out engaging with any dissenting voices. In this backdrop, when the Congress led the Pratyeka Hoda Bharosa Sabha, along with many likeminded parties, in solidarity with the people of Andhra Pradesh, I was motivated to listen to what the various leaders have to say.
As I listened to the galaxy of leaders reiterate their resolve to continue fighting for the cause of Andhra Pradesh, I received a text from my friend asking how the meeting was progressing. When I informed him that the ground was brimming with people in rapt attention, he seemed perplexed because he had been informed by the TV channels that only a small trickle of people attended the event. Moreover, many channels showed the black flag protests led by TDP activists that demanded that Rahul Gandhi go back. The protesters alleged that he was responsible for the bifurcation of the state.
While the media should remain neutral and report objectively, they should also learn to pose questions to politicians. Not one channel questioned the double standards of the TDP with regard to Telangana, both at the time of bifurcation and during the black flag protests on June 4.
While Chandrababu Naidu claimed in Telangana that it was with his support that the new state became a reality, in Andhra Pradesh he projected the bifurcation onto the Congress. None in the media appeared courageous enough to pin down the TDP and seek answers for the acute political schizophrenia they appeared to suffer from.
As a common citizen, I seek answers for the following pertinent questions the media refuses to ask the government:
1) When the TDP was in alliance with the TRS in 2009, wasn’t it implicit that they supported the creation of Telangana, given that that was the raison d’etre of the TRS? When the TDP takes credit for creating Telangana, on what grounds do they "blame" the Congress for bifurcation?
2) Did the BJP and TDP not know before the election that Andhra Pradesh was not eligible for being accorded special category status? Are there any recent developments in the state so drastic that they had to change their stand on the issue? Both the BJP and TDP stated that the special category status is cardinal for the progress of the state. Hence, is it not their duty to ensure Andhra Pradesh is given its due? Why the stepmotherly treatment?
The recent developments make me recall a quote attributed to Malcolm X - If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing!
Unlike in 2014, I refuse to be carried away by the rhetoric of the media and seek answers from the government. The government should stop slandering their political opponents and focus on honouring their pre-election commitments.
In our obsession with facts, let’s not lose track of the truth - there is a concerted effort to stifle dissent and curb citizens from asking difficult questions!