Prime Minister’s Interview To PTI Is A Weak Exercise In Brand Building Before 2024

By Sushil Kutty

It could be his last interview. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi answered questions as if he is here to stay even if Indians have yet to consider whether he is fit for a third term or not with their votes in 2024. The interviewer gave him an easy time with forgettable questions. Were they vetted before they were allowed? Why not, the entire exercise was to refurbish the Prime Minister’s image before general elections 2024. To be honest, this Prime Minister should have been put to the test but he wasn’t, which speaks a lot about the integrity and commitment of the media and “government-monitored media agencies”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was treated with kid gloves. None of the questions were designed to push the Prime Minister or irritate him or sting him to force an answer out of him. The questions were safe. For example, with the general election hardly months away, the Prime Minister wasn’t asked the most basic question of how he rated his chances in 2024?

The interviewer appeared determined to “get it over with” ASAP; perhaps, because he wasn’t convinced about the G20-heavy line of questioning. Of course, G20 is current topic and would be important for Civil Services’ aspirants, but not for a media cross-examination of a Prime Minister facing flak on a number of issues including his “friendship” with a ‘suspect’ businessman allegedly involved in international hanky-panky.

Point is, the Prime Minister should have been grilled instead of being thrown “soft balls”. The G20 and ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas’ aren’t important for Indians who have INDIA in their mind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans going ahead regarding INDIA?

Surely, INDIA is eating Modi far more than G20? Of course, G20 is a major accomplishment but even the G20 questions asked of Modi were statements rather than queries. For example, “The G-20 Presidency has given India the opportunity to promote its vision for a sustainable, inclusive and equitable world, and to raise its profile as a leader in the Indo-Pacific region. With just days left for the Summit, please share your thoughts on the achievements of the Indian Presidency…”

The fact of the matter is, India would have got the G20 presidency irrespective of who was Indian Prime Minister — Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi; Mamata Banerjee or Nitish Kumar? The G20 questions could have been sharper. But Modi fielded scripted questions and spoke of “stability” and “decisive mandate” and how those placed his government in a better place to get things done over the “last nine years”, both nationally and internationally.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi railed against “freebies” and both the interviewer and Modi made sure the INDIA grouping’s challenge to take NDA candidates one-on-one in all parliamentary constituencies was not raised or discussed. The opposition parties’ resolve to arrive at a workable seat-sharing arrangement and nominating one opposition candidate against each BJP candidate are giving Prime Minister Modi’s NDA nightmares but not a single mention in the Modi interview.

Prime Minister Modi should have been asked to make his stand clear on a host of political issues linked to his reign and the upcoming assembly and 2024 general elections. This interview was entirely G20-centric and Narendra Modi was more interested in reminding the electorate of his international accomplishments and where India stood in the global arena after 10 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi guiding the world. Modi spoke of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” as an international slogan that is not limited to India and Indians alone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the interviewer went on and on about G20 and there was a question on cybercrime and another on ‘Amrit Kaal’, the predictable ‘Made-for-Modi’ question: “Where would India be in 2047 at the end of Amrit Kaal?” The questioner should have asked Modi for how long he expected to remain in power? The answer, if one was forthcoming, would have stirred interest. This interview, however, was staged to rebrand Modi.

Imagine, an interview of Modi and not a single question on ‘Modani’ and “Hindenburg” or the latest controversy involving Adani and the whole thing about Adani dollars travelling the world only to return to India to allegedly buoy up Adani shares for a killing? International newspapers are writing about it, but there is nothing, not a single question asked of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the interview.

Imagine also, not a single question on India-China and LAC incursions; on renaming Arunachal Pradesh and other places within Arunachal Pradesh plus the adroitly tampered with India map that is missing Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Aksai Chin. All these deserved questions to rival the ones about G20 but Prime Minister Narendra Modi was spared the embarrassments in yet another message that said that this Prime Minister was looking at the long-term and that he is not going away anyplace anytime soon, if at all. (IPA Service)