Yesterday’s AAP sweep in Delhi evoked many emotions. While BJP and its sympathizers were disheartened, otherwise ‘neutral’ and ‘objective’ journalists were seen celebrating without holding back their joy of an AAP victory in the national capital. While we are all aware of many journalists whose entire existence revolves around anti-BJPism, what was surprising was to see all such journalists not even pretend to be ‘neutral’ any longer, as they rejoiced the BJP’s defeat. Now while this is a step in the right direction, we must nevertheless expose one such journalist.
Rajdeep Sardesai is known to not hold back. Whether it be at Maddison Square or the India Today studio, Rajdeep gladly obliges whosoever seeks his indulgence. As the BJP’s figures narrowed down to single digits in Delhi, Rajdeep Sardesai broke into a dancing spree along with Axis My India Chief Pradeep Gupta.
Here, it is important to give a hats off to Pradeep Gupta for predicting yet another election bang on. His exit poll agency was the only one to have predicted BJP not crossing a single-digit figure in Delhi. As such, for him to celebrate is only befitting, as it is a validation of the effort he and his team put in for the exit polls.
For Rajdeep to tag along, however, is indicative of an inherent glee overseeing the BJP lose a prestige battle against Arvind Kejriwal. Although he too claimed to celebrate the accuracy of India Today’s exit poll partner agency, not many are willing to buy his rhetoric. The biggest election in years, last year was the 2019 Lok Sabha election, where India Today-Axis My India Exit polls were celebrated for their accuracy, yet Rajdeep Sardesai was in no mood to shake a leg, perhaps because the winners were Modi and Shah.
#AAPKiDilli | The 'Badshah' of exit polls, @PradeepGuptaAMI, shakes a leg with @sardesairajdeep.
Do not miss this video!
Live TV: https://t.co/MEP27rs2E0#DelhiElectionResults pic.twitter.com/DWC39Gnlrj— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) February 11, 2020
Yes sir, my rock star pollster gets it bang on and we do a celebratory dance! Next time he will sing too. You on the other hand are an utter disgrace to what passes off as journalism and sing and dance to your Master’s voice. And spread hate. Good luck https://t.co/W1nKSj04qe
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) February 11, 2020
To be honest, Rajdeep can really hide behind the excuse of celebrating an exit poll success. What he cannot do, however, is assume the moral high ground and now preach to other Indian journalists about the virtues of neutral and objective journalism and how his foes are a blot on the same. He must recognize that like India’s political scene, the media too is polarized like never before, a luxury which has been afforded to many only post-2014, otherwise one really does not remember any name except Arnab Goswami’s which hammered the hell out of the previous UPA government. The others, frankly, simply refused to raise either their eyes or their tone in front of their then political masters. In the same line, while Rajdeep can, after recognizing this aspect of Indian media, celebrate to any extent a BJP loss, he must also recognize the right of other journalists to not toe his ideological line.
