The Indian media is known for its loves for sensational content. To attract more eyeballs, the media carries out sensational headlines, publishes half-truths, and sometimes even fake news.
In the latest effort to sensationalize a government decision, many mainstream publication houses including Indian Express and NDTV carried out a story about India’s national flower, the Lotus printed on new passports. The Lotus also happens to feature as BJP’s party symbol.
The media houses published a part of Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, where he said, “This symbol is our national flower and is part of the enhanced security features to identify fake passports.”
The liberal community on Twitter started a furore over the decision. Many mainstream journalists like Faye DSouza questioned the government’s decision. A Congress MP from Kerala -MK Raghavan, also accused the BJP of “further saffronisation” of the government and national institutions. The Congress also asked questions pertaining to this in parliament.
After the furore, it came to be known that in his press conference, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said that “Apart from Lotus, other national symbols will be used on rotation. Next month there’ll be something else..symbols such as national flower or national animal.”
The media houses like Indian Express and NDTV kept this paragraph in the last line of the story and chose not to clarify in the headline that- other National symbols will also be used by the government on a rotational basis.
https://twitter.com/fayedsouza/status/1205311196745699328
Just make the passport saffron too!! What the hell is wrong with this dumbfcuk of a party? Is nothing sacred to them? Do they have to use every available space for their party promotion!! Ugh! https://t.co/EbgwOrIVFp
— Sangita (@Sanginamby) December 12, 2019
Lotus is the National Flower of India. That the Congress is unaware of this is not surprising. Hopefully next security feature for Indian passport will be India's national vegetable. I will let you guess that one. https://t.co/gTwUOAcvMg
— Kanchan Gupta (Hindu Bengali Refugee)🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) December 12, 2019
The Indian Media has seen its role as permanent opposition, especially if BJP is in power. 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. The people in the media still pursue fear and rumour-mongering on the direction of their political masters. It is also surprising to see that media-persons and politicians outraged without considering the basic fact that the lotus is the national flower of India.
This establishment is responsible for informing the public, and in creating the public good, they must shed their biases and their personal dealings. The interesting thing is they cry foul and ‘political witch hunt’ when some legal action is taken against them. The establishment pleads for freedom of the press whenever their corporate wrongdoing is exposed but it is difficult to expect objectivity from these tainted media houses.