Have you noticed the trend? Every allegation AAP floats, every untruth they create out of thin air gets extensive coverage in Media? They have attacked Modi Government for inanest of things but have managed to create shockwaves every single time. Not once their gimmick was disregarded as drama. And there is little, almost negligible critical analysis of their politics. Social Media keeps making jokes about Kejriwal’s weak Janlokpal, his failed promises of free WiFi and CCTVs. But the media, it always maintains a calculated silence.
But amusingly, AAP and its braindead fan-army always allege that the media is unfair to them and is on Modi’s payrolls. They famously stopped coming to Times Now during 2014 Election Debates. Also Ashish Khetan openly accused Arnab Goswami of siding with Nupur Sharma and attacking him for no reasons.
AAP is a Delhi based regional party which contested disastrously across India. But the Delhi Media keeps giving them a National Party Aura.
One reason behind it is that AAP has instated a lot of influential journalists. Manish Sisodia, Ashish Khetan and Ashutosh – all of them have been journalists in the past. But the second and the most important reason is that AAP extends special favours to the entire Delhi-based media.
A little known E-Magazine Fountain Ink run by an Ex-Tehelka Journalist, featured an article. The article alleged that the Delhi government run by Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party was carrying out large-scale corruption and it was being concealed by the Media Cabal that AAP has created and nourished.
Below is an official notice by the Delhi University, dated July 2015, about the re-structuring of the Governing Bodies of 28 colleges under DU. The list of nominees includes over 30 journalists and a few more names associated with the media.
The Image can be verified from Delhi University Official Website list.
http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=6881&cntnt01returnid=83
So basically Aam Aadmi Party has been awarding senior Journalists, Reporters, Editors and Media Persons plum postings. This is the Vito Corleone style of offering friendship so that the benefited party is compelled to sing ballads of AAP’s glory and help them whenever they are in need of it. Technically speaking, it is a clear Conflict of interest and a severe blow to the entire concept of media independence.
Look at some of the names in the list:
Saba Naqvi – She happens to be Political editor at Outlook
Ashok Upadhyay – He is the Executive Producer of News X
Ambika Pandit – She is Senior Assistant Editor at Times of India
Again a story as explosive as this should have been discussed in the mainstream media but it got very limited coverage. On Social Media however, senior AAP leader and spokesperson Ashish Khetan was the butt of jokes when he got into a Twitter spat with journalists Rana Ayyub (Tehelka) and Hartosh Singh Bal (Caravan). Both Rana and Hartosh had shared this piece. Funnily. Rana Ayyub has been the top favourite of AAP and its braindead fan-army. Just a day back, Rana Ayyub was being applauded for her book against Modi and his alleged involvement in 2002 Gujarat riots.
https://twitter.com/AashishKhetan/status/737917838107770880
Show me evidence of corruption. Do innuendos & spiteful remarks attributed to unknown sources amount to journalism? https://t.co/BkLFICfuWn
— Prof. Ashish Khetan (@AashishKhetan) June 1, 2016
isn't about you, its about AAP. were businessmen appointed 'educationist'? is this how AAP manages criticism? https://t.co/QnScleH1vL
— Hartosh Singh Bal (@HartoshSinghBal) June 1, 2016
The Delhi Media took subtle digs at Modi when Swapan Dasgupta got a Rajya Sabha Nomination and Rajat Sharma got a Padma Award. But here’s Aam Aadmi Party – the fruit of a people’s movement, the beacon of hope wading in the slush of corruption. No one seems to mind.
