 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for a selfie with reporters during the Diwali Mangal Milan at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday")
It was a delayed Diwali Milan function at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Delhi on November 28. The Prime Minister was in attendance and so was the BJP president Amit Shah. Scores of journalists—many editors and a large number of reporters- got an opportunity to interact with senior ministers.
The ministers briefed us on why the Congress’ insistence on fixing a particular rate for Goods and Services Tax (GST) to be written as part of the bill does not make sense. That even chief ministers of Congress-ruled states will not agree to what the Congress is insisting on. That tax rates are adjusted according to the state of the economy. And adjustment will be too complicated if any change is required to take the constitution amendment route.
We were told by BJP spokespersons that attempts were made during the last Parliament session also to get the Congress on board for the GST. It did not materialise because the Congress leaders were too stubborn last time, they told us. What has changed this time is the Congress leaders’ willingness to consider a face saving formula, we were told.
There were two giant screens inside the venue showing us the movements of senior ministers. It was truly a milan kind of atmosphere. A fellow journalist who had attended the same function last year told me that there was a perceptible change in the way ministers and BJP leaders were interacting with media persons this time. “More intermingling is taking place this time. It is a friendly atmosphere with BJP leaders making a conscious effort to interact with media persons,” the journalist from a leading English daily told me.
The excitement inside the venue went up a few notches following the announcement that the Prime Minister is expected any moment. The PM came and delivered a very short speech extolling the virtues of festivals. He said that festivals strengthen the value of equality. After the PM’s greetings, we were requested to be seated as the PM and the BJP president wanted to interact with all the journalists inside the venue.
That was the end of milan and selfie craze took over thereafter. To be fair to the PM, he seemed interested in having an interaction with the journalists. But there was a maddening rush among some journalists to have a selfie with the PM. “Sir, mere saath ek selfie, please,” that was the only line I kept hearing for next 20 minutes. The SPG personnel had a real tough time managing the selfie rush. Many of us did not have any option but to rush out.
Even as the selfie drama was unfolding, I heard a television reporter giving a phone-in interview. “Ab Pradhanmantriji meri taraf badh rahe hain. ..Wo sahishnu dikh rahe hain. Mujhe lagta hain ki Congress ke netaon se milne ke baad wo aur jyada sahishnu ho gaye hain (Now the PM is moving towards where I am. He looks tolerant. I think he has become more tolerant after meeting Congress leaders),” the reporter was speaking something like this loudly on the phone.
I don’t know whether that phone-in interview was going live. I don’t know whether he indeed was a television reporter. Seeing the selfie rush among fellow journalists, I was too stunned to check all that.
The PM stayed at the venue for nearly 45 minutes. It does not happen often that we get a chance to interact with the PM. But not a single question was asked. We did not get to know the PM’s perspective on important issues of the day. Isn’t it a huge loss of opportunity? Will the selfie brigade please explain?
Journalists are supposed to ask questions, seek clarifications and maintain a safe distance from the people being interviewed. By ignoring even the basics, the selfie brigade has caused immense harm to the cause of independent media.
I have seen such jostling before, but only to be the first one to ask questions or get a sound byte. That day I realised that probably the days of dialogue are over. Selfie journalism has ensured that they will talk and we will listen. The job of seeking accountability will have to wait for some other day.
