Advertisement and publicity are two vital aspects of our present day, consumer-driven world. Unfortunately, they often present a mirage, overshadowing the reality and then the result is self-destruction. The publicity hype launched by the NDA government at the Centre seems to be an ideal example of this hypothesis.
All governments across the world invest in self-publicity, but the classic manner in which the Narendra Damodardas Modi government has exploited this medium has given rise to some pertinent questions.
Even before this dispensation came to power in May 2014, it adopted a distinct policy vis-à-vis its propaganda machinery. Since the “achche din” promise made three years back, people fail to see through the game of this government’s successful self-promotion drives.
Often, the government makes such promises that it cannot implement or does not have any intention to fulfill. These promises are alluring and presented in a reliable manner. For instance, they make a youth feel that s/he will get employment, while a farmer is convinced of a better life as the minimum support price for his crop will be increased significantly.
Once the messages go down and benefits reaped, promises are conveniently forgotten. In case any questions are raised, they are simply ignored or clarifications issued saying that the announcements have been misconstrued by the media and people.
If questions persist, the government comes out with a new set of bigger promises such as bullet trains, smart city, clean India, clean rivers, electricity for all, digital connectivity and so on. While the government itself is convinced that it cannot fulfill these promises, it hopes that they will help erase the older one from people’s minds.
Another modus operandi of the government’s self-promotion policy has been to engage in media blitz. For instance, senior ministers and party functionaries are holding regular media briefings to propagate the so-called achievements during the past three years. Often selected data is used to substantiate the claims, irrespective of their impact on the public.
Moreover, large media houses supporting its policies are rewarded with untold benefits to highlight the feats of the Modi government and bash the feeble opposition. If any media stands up for verifiable content, like NDTV, the reprisal is instant and terrible. Of late, the services of celebrities and film stars are also being utilized to further the government’s campaign — at the cost of the taxpayers’ money.
Simultaneously, the government is going to the extent of blatantly disobeying the decisions of the Supreme Court in its efforts to wring the necks of the small number of taxpayers. It has established a successful and systematic mechanism within and outside the government to disseminate ‘half-truths’.
The objective is to coin alluring slogans, catchphrases to seize the imagination of the masses as well as to thwart any criticism of its policies. In addition to their workload, all senior bureaucrats have been given “special duties”, which include ensuring comprehensive coverage of the Prime Minister’s activities as well as preparing rejoinders to any potential criticism.
Not only that, Central PSUs have been instructed to carry out different activities in support of the BJP with their CSR funds, which is also an illegal act.
When these fail to yield the desired results and criticisms start gaining public support, the government has been quick to change the target of criticism. For instance, when people asked about the amount of black money recovered due to demonetisation, the government was quick to retort that the actual aim was to introduce a cashless economy and not recovering black money.
Similarly, when questions were raised about the immense problems faced by common people due to note ban, the government said that the move was undertaken keeping in view long-term benefits, as money was taken away from the rich to serve the poor.
If questions persist, trolls and bhakts are made to hound doubters. Such people are dealt with differently by asking questions about their personal ability, patriotism. Eventually, they are labelled as corrupt, politically-motivated or anti-nationals.
There is no doubt that this government gives utmost priority to its propaganda machinery, which has been set up with great care and immense investments. But the question remains whether it has been able to satisfy people’s queries about rising unemployment, increasing farmers’ unrest and suicides, diminishing financial investments, success of Swachh Bharat or Clean Ganga campaigns or why the GDP growth rate is lower than expected.
Neither has the government been able to spell out is strategy vis-à-vis Pakistan and China or why India’s relations with its immediate neighbours such as Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is strained than ever before.
The publicity mechanism of the government is being challenged and will continue to be confronted unless people get satisfactory answers to these questions and more. History is proof that “Goebbels’ truth” can only fool some people for some time, not all the people for all time.