An RTI reply has revealed that communal harmony under Modi government is better in comparison to the UPA regime. The Union home ministry replied to Noida based IT professional and RTI activist Amit Gupta on the data about communal violence in the country. As per the data provided by the ministry, a total of 1605 people were killed in 10,339 incidents of communal violence from 2004 to 2017.
The average number of people killed between 2004 and 2013 is 1,216. This period is roughly associated with the UPA government under the de-jure leadership of Manmohan Singh and the de-facto leadership of Sonia Gandhi. On the other hand, the average number of people killed between 2013 and 2017 come down at 97.25 per year under the leadership of PM Modi. The highest number of people was killed in the year 2008 with tally reaching 167 followed by 134 in 2004 and 133 in 2013, and this distinction goes to the UPA government.
The country recorded 3,858 incidents of communal riots between 2004 and 2008, a period roughly correspondents with the first term of UPA government. Between 5 years of 2008 and 2013 of UPA II the total number goes up to 3,621. UPA II was one of most poorly administrated government the country has ever seen with rampant corruption and lawlessness. The maximum number of disturbances was recorded in 2008 at 943 followed by 849 in 2009 and 849 in 2013, all under the UPA government.
The country witnessed 2,920 communal riots from 2014 to 2017 which is far less in comparison to UPA regimes. The left-liberal media establishment has perpetuated and propagated the view that communal harmony in the country is under attack since the Modi government came to power and communal riots have increased. The disdain of Lutyens’ media towards Modi government is clearly visible from the overall reporting of the issues of few communal violence incidents which were blown out of proportion. The short-sighted and ideologically polarized anchors and journalists in English media reported few incidents in a manner that it seemed like riots are happening all over the country.
Indian media exaggerates every issue and the TV shows lack mature content. The Prime Time shows on TV give a sense that the world will fall apart on just the other day. The media needs to behave more responsibly and should keep the welfare of the social fabric of the country in mind while reporting on sensitive issues.
The left-liberal media establishment collaborates with the opposition, mainly Congress which has nurtured and nourished it since the days of state monopoly over media and spreads ruckus. The state monopoly over media ended in last the few decades but the subservience of left-liberal media to Congress remains the same.
Indian media is well known for sensationalizing issues. To attract more eyeballs, media organizations exaggerate everything and make sensational headlines. The print medium is relatively better but few websites and almost all the television channels are more of Ekta Kapoor serials than platforms for sensible coverage and informative reporting. The people in the media still pursue fear and rumor-mongering on the direction of their political masters.