Tag: Mann ki baat

Why is the ‘Strongest PM’ India Has Ever Had Silent on Adani, Brijbhushan, Manipur and China?

Karma for the ‘Maun’mohan Singh jab seems to have finally caught up with Narendra Modi.

During the 2014 election campaign, Narendra Modi took great pleasure in deriding incumbent prime minister Manmohan Singh as ‘weak’ and ‘voiceless’. At rallies, he was frequently taunted as ‘Maun’mohan Singh, playing on the Hindi word for silence. At a Shimla rally, Modi asked why ‘Maunmohan’ Singh and Sonia Gandhi kept a stony silence on issues like inflation and price rise under the UPA.

Each epithet Modi threw at Manmohan Singh is now rebounding on him with a vengeance. Some call it Modi’s own karma while others say it is Keshubhai Patel’s curse.

More than a decade ago, in 2012, Modi found himself isolated. Even the RSS organ Panchjanya had hit out at Modi’s ‘style of functioning’ as Gujarat’s chief minister. Pitted against Modi were an array of Gujarat seniors like former chief minister Suresh Mehta, Kashiram Rana, Gordhan Zadaphia, Nalin Bhat, Sidharth Parmar and Pravin Maniar.

Aging and ailing, Keshubhai Patel often cursed his old chela and called him a ‘rhino’. He asked people to guard against the antics of the lanpot sankh (a Gujarati term for braggart). He described Modi as a ‘demon’ favouring industrialists at the expense of the poor.

A decade later, Modi’s involvement with the industrialist that Keshubhai had in mind has seemingly left him speechless. He has not uttered a word about the damning revelations contained in the Hindenburg report about his friend Gautam Adani’s alleged stock market manipulations, accounting irregularities and undisclosed transactions. In the resultant stock market turmoil, the Adani Group’s net worth was halved.

The issue rocked parliament, with the opposition insisting on a joint parliament committee (JPC) inquiry into the scam and that the prime minister should come to the house to explain his relationship with the Adanis. While Modi himself maintained maun all along, his colleagues persistently stonewalled every demand for public scrutiny, made in and outside parliament. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal went to the extent of alleging that the money involved ‘actually’ belonged to Modi. He said Adani was merely a front. 

This is an extremely serious allegation levelled by a chief minister. He has challenged the very personal integrity of the country’s prime minister. Modi had in the past charged the UPA government with a series of scams. But no one had ever accused Manmohan Singh of personal involvement. In fact, no prime minister in India was ever accused of this kind of direct personal involvement in any such misdemeanours, not even Rajiv Gandhi, who was accused of enriching his friends but not himself. This renders Modi’s silence on the Adani imbroglio even more surprising.

Rahul Gandhi holds up a photo of Narendra Modi in a private jet with Gautam Adani in the Lok Sabha, February 7, 2023. Photo: Screengrab via Sansad TV

Blame it on the stars or karma, the dawn of 2023 found Modi totally tongue-tied on half a dozen pressing issues. For several months, India’s champion wrestlers were on the streets seeking action against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh – who is also a BJP MP. Women wrestlers, including minors, alleged repeated sexual misbehaviour by Singh, who had for years established a vice-like grip on the entire federation.

Crucial positions in the WFI are held by his kin and friends who controlled the entire outfit. As the agitation and dharna continued at Jantar Mantar, Modi and his ministers were busy breaking the morale of the protesters. While Singh was gaily rubbing shoulders with his party bosses at the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the police were manhandling the wrestlers at Jantar Mantar. They were detained and kept in the police station for hours before finally being charged with rioting.

At one stage, the wrestlers were so disheartened by Modi’s refusal to break his silence that they went to Hardwar to throw their medals into the Ganga. However, they were persuaded not to do so by leaders of the farmers’ unions. The wrestlers also got widespread support from the middle classes and youth. A C-Voter survey found that 68.4% of the people interviewed wanted the PM to take strong action against the accused BJP MP.

Khap panchayats extended full support to the wrestlers and organised their own protests. Women from the mahapanchayat rushed to Delhi to join the wrestlers’ dharna. None of this moved Modi who, as a diehard despot, went by his own cold calculations. Jat votes, which can influence 40 Lok Sabha seats spread over four states, are important for him. But ignoring the Brijbhushan factor in Uttar Pradesh could also be politically fatal.

It is this dilemma that forced India’s “strongest prime minister” into a long maunvrat on the issue. Yet behind the scenes, he tried to break the agitation. He deputed Anurag Thakur, who sought to wean away what the establishment thought was the most vulnerable section. Though the Supreme Court refused to monitor the investigation, its verdict forced the police to move.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at the parliament inauguration. Photo: Special arrangement

The reason for Modi’s stony silence on the Manipur violence, now ongoing for over two months, belongs to a third category. The ethnic clashes which began on May 3 have forced 37,000 people into relief camps, 12,000 people to flee and have killed at least 142. Over 36,000 central forces personnel have been deployed in the state. Caught in a cleft stick of its own creation, any solution the government suggests could bounce back on it.

Authoritarians the world over avoid such risks. They always seek to take credit for positive achievements and carefully avoid unpopular decisions. Hence, Modi deputed Amit Shah to Manipur – where the latter drew a blank. This explains his refusal even to meet an opposition delegation to discuss the situation in Manipur for 10 days. Finally, they left a memorandum at the PMO. Other delegations from Manipur also had similar experiences. Angry at Modi’s silence, the protesters refused to listen to his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ homilies.

The clashes have forced even the RSS to make a formal appeal for peace. But not India’s prime minister.

Consider how A.B. Vajpayee handled a similar situation in July 2001. He took an all-party delegation to Manipur and held two all-party meetings. This should be the practice in a democracy. Discussion at the National Integration Council was another tradition during the pre-Modi era.

Sidestepping uncomfortable truths

Silence as a device to sidestep uncomfortable truths has been spreading to new areas. The PM persistently avoids talking about the ingress of Chinese troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) ever since his 2020 faux pas. Modi had surprised everyone by claiming that “neither has anyone intruded into Indian territory nor has anyone captured any military posts”, which contradicted his government’s statements. 

Similar silence prevails on price rise and the economic situation after his gaffe on inflation in February last year.

In one of his rare retorts, Manmohan Singh had way back in 2018 asked Modi why he was afraid of holding press conferences and thus avoiding media scrutiny. The former PM has a point. Unlike other PMs, Modi has never held a press conference. In the US, he attended a press conference after eight years but took only one question.

Even this misfired badly. Instead of the soft questions Modi is used to, the Wall Street Journal‘s correspondent asked a highly embarrassing question. This led to wild trolling of the journalist by the BJP’s social media soldiers. Things got so ghastly that the White House issued a formal statement condemning the ‘harassment’. 

It is not for nothing that Maun-Modi sets great value by what is now his trademark silence.

P. Raman is a veteran journalist.

In PM Modi’s Latest ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Valuable Lessons for Manipur’s Residents

People crying for the PM to speak on the violence in Manipur do not understand that he must not be disturbed while performing his civilisational task of transforming India.

Those complaining that the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has not spoken need to stop complaining.

He is never shy when it comes to speaking. In fact, his urge to speak – rather, to talk to his people – is so strong that he considers it his parental duty and delivers a monthly sermon which, according to his media, is also keenly awaited by his people.

Since he will be on an important mission to the USA during the last week of this month and will also probably be busy talking to the Hindu diaspora there, one can assume that he will not be able to record the radio show, ‘Mann Ki Baat’. You may say that he could well have recorded it in advance so that it can been aired later. But remaining up to date, as they say, is crucial for him. So, this time, he advanced his monthly broadcast to June 18 and talked about many important things.

And the people were found listening.

The BJP president was seen listening to the talk in Dibrugarh, the Uttarakhand CM, Pushkar Singh Dhami, was sighted near his radio set in Dehradun, Union minister Piyush Goyal did not miss it even though he was in Jaipur and the Goa CM, Pramod Sawant, listened in Goa.

What if some malcontents were seen breaking their transistor sets on the streets of Imphal saying, ‘No to Mann ki Baat’?

How does it affect the great pontificator?

They opted out of his nationalist pedagogic exercise only to their own disadvantage. They are so selfish that they only want themselves to be discussed by the supreme leader.

We don’t know if their leaders, from different parties, who are camping in New Delhi to get the ear of the prime minister, are as ignorant as them. The truth is that the PM was, in fact, speaking to the people of Manipur on June 18. This was his way of telling them what they had missed while they were busy fomenting or escaping violence.

The complaint is that how can the PM not speak a word about Manipur, which has been burning for more than 40 days? Where more than 150 people have been killed because of the continuing violence? Where hundreds of churches, houses and business establishments have been burnt and destroyed? Where thousands are displaced and arms are being looted by the mobs? Where there is a bloody divide between communities and where the state seems to have disappeared?

The address of June 18 was a reminder to the people of Manipur that they were wasting their time with violence while teacher Raafi Ramnath of Kerala was busy learning the Japanese technique of Miyawaki, which is a very good way to make an area green if the soil is not fertile. This technique is gradually being seen in India also. Raafi Ramnath created a mini forest called ‘Vidyavanam’ with over 115 varieties of vegetation. Manipur’s residents clearly need to turn their attention to this technique – something they cannot do if they continue with their violence.

Similarly, they needed to learn from the people of Hapur in Uttar Pradesh who have given new life to a dead river and are now reviving its source as Amrit Sarovar.

If they do not desist from violence, how would they play their role in eradicating tuberculosis from India and be part of the mission Nikshay? If they adopt villages like people in other parts of this great country and not burn or escape them, only then can this scourge of TB go away.

Importantly, they must end the violence and get ready to participate in World Yoga Day on June 25. How can they miss this global movement which the PM would be leading from the UN? How can they forget that the world is one family?

Finally, it is not the police, not the Army, not the state but the collective force of the people of India which solves all problems. It is this power the PM expects will rise to the occasion in the state of Manipur. People have to take charge of their destiny and not depend on the state.

When the PM asked children of the country to not leave their homework till the last day of their summer holidays, he had the children of Manipur in his mind. The latter’s parents are so irresponsible that they did not let their children do it since they were burning their own houses and along with it the books and notebooks of their children.

People crying for the PM to speak on the violence of Manipur do not understand these things.

The constituents of the great leader understand. They get the message of his silence. They know that if he is silent about something and people are crying for him to say something, it must be trivial and does not deserve his attention. He must not be disturbed while performing his civilisational task of transforming India, leading it back to the throne of the guru of the world.

Was he not  asked to speak when Akhlaq was killed and when the mob lynching of Muslims became routine for India? Was he not condemned for not speaking when his own men and women were threatening and abusing Muslims openly, and organising hate assemblies?

One must understand that the leader has his way of speaking. When Christians wanted him to speak on the attacks on community members across the country, Modi visited a church in Delhi. “He planted a sapling. He praised our garden and the way it was maintained, and also gave tips on how to keep a plant alive. He revealed that he likes gardening and suggested burying a clay pot filled with water near a plant to keep it green and help it live longer,” a bishop gushed.

How can who is so concerned about ways to keep a plant green be considered insensitive to human lives? One has to learn to decode his language and extract meaning out of it. The people of Manipur will learn it too.

My Thesis Was Doctored to Suit the Goals of Hindu Supremacists, Says Canadian Researcher

A part of Alan Morinis’s 1979 PhD thesis was edited to claim that a major Hindu pilgrimage (Kumbha Mela) was stopped by the Islamic invasion at Tribeni in the Hooghly district of West Bengal 700 years ago.

New Delhi: On May 18, 2023, the Indian daily The Telegraph published an op-ed by Canadian anthropologist Alan Morinis who alleged that the Hindu supremacists had doctored a part of his 1979 PhD thesis to claim that a major Hindu pilgrimage (Kumbha Mela) was stopped by the Islamic invasion at Tribeni in the Hooghly district of West Bengal 700 years ago. Morinis said that the morphing of his thesis was intended to carry out a communal campaign against Muslims, even as the morphed part was circulated widely as a justification for “reviving” a major Hindu pilgrimage at Tribeni. 

“Someone with an agenda got hold of my dissertation and reworded the page where I discuss Tribeni to say what they wanted to say, not what I had written based on my years of research,” Morinis said in his article. 

In February, Prime Minister Modi in his 98th Mann ki Baat programme expressed his happiness at the revival of the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage in the locality of Tribeni in Hooghly district, West Bengal. At the time, Modi said, “Do you know why it is so special? It is special since this practice has been revived after 700 years… Two years ago, the festival has been started again by the local people through ‘Tribeni Kumbho Porichalona Shomiti’. I congratulate all the people associated with its organisation. You are not only keeping alive a tradition, but are also protecting the cultural heritage of India.”

Mornis claimed that although Tribeni had been a pilgrimage site and hosted Hindu religious gatherings in antiquity, it was never a site of Kumbh Mela. The recent campaign to accord a “higher level of sanctity and importance like Kumbh Mela” is being done to suit the political goal of Hindu supremacists, the 73-year-old anthropologist said. 

“The historical fact is that there never was a Kumbh Mela at Tribeni, and the so-called ‘revival’ is based on falsified research,” Morinis said, adding that someone may have accessed his doctoral thesis at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library and “reworded the page” where he discussed Tribeni. He said that while he had originally written about the Hindu ritualistic bath on Sankranti (monthly solar transitions) at Tribeni, the doctored document removed the part and replaced it with words: “a Kumbha-mela was held here in past.”

Morinis went on to say that Tribeni is also the burial place of a 14th-century leader Ghazi Zafar Khan that has now turned into a dargah. He said that the presence of “building materials with Hindu iconography” in the dargah has “led some to claim that this dargah was built on the site of a Hindu temple, ignoring the fact that Buddhist and Jain images are found as well”.  

“The agenda of the forgers seems to be not just to ‘revive’ a pilgrimage but, in the process, also destroy a Muslim site. Claiming the rebirth of a major festival at the site of a temple supposedly destroyed by Muslims is the ideal rationale to further that agenda,” Morinis wrote. 

The Wire spoke to Morinis – a Rhodes scholar – on the matter where he discussed in detail his thesis and how he came to know about it being morphed in India for political gains. 

When did you find out that your thesis was doctored?

On May 12, I received an email from (senior journalist) Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay alerting me to the piece just published that day in the online journal Article 14 written by Snigdhendu Bhattacharya (in which Nilanjan was quoted) that referred to the forged section of my doctoral dissertation. The next day I made contact with Mr Bhattacharya and he forwarded to me the pdf of my dissertation that had been altered. I compared that version to the hard copy I have of my dissertation and I confirmed that the change had been made as asserted.

What is the central argument of your thesis, and which year did you complete it?

I completed my thesis in 1979. The central focus is on comparing 3 pilgrimage places in West Bengal: Tarakeshwar, Navadwip and Tarapith to investigate how much these three places had traditions in common, and what variations there were in accord with their cultic differences. 

You say that the purported Kumbh Mela was never celebrated in Tribeni, Hooghly. But was there any celebration of some kind celebrating monthly solar transitions (sankranti)?

Just to be clear, Tribeni was a very minor concern in my thesis. I dealt with that place on only one page of 470. The only reason it is being highlighted now is that someone forged my thesis by cutting out a phrase I wrote about a tradition of bathing at Tirbeni at the Sankranti and replaced it with false information about a Kumbha Mela having taken place there.

In your research, do you find evidence of a syncretic culture in the past, given the presence of different religious iconography in Ghazi Zafar Khan’s Dargah?

If by syncretic culture you mean a degree of mixing between different traditions, the answer is emphatically yes. Some Hindus pray at Muslim shrines and vice versa. 

Ghazi Zafar Khan’s Dargah. Photo: Pinaki1983/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

How is Ghazi Zafar Khan remembered in Tribeni? Is he seen as an anti-Hindu figure or does his shrine attract devotees from all religions?

I cannot answer that question because it depends on who you talk to. If you ask a Hindu supremacist he is certainly seen as anti-Hindu. But ask a knowledgeable Hindu and you might find great appreciation for his Sanskrit poetry. Everyone sees him through their own lens.

What kind of Hindu iconography did you find at Tribeni, something that the Bharatiya Janata Party has been claiming?

No one denies that there is Hindu iconography in the dargah at Tribeni, especially from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. One entire doorway has been identified as being in the style of a Hindu temple. There is no controversy about this. Scholars are unsure, however, whether the dargah was built on a Hindu temple the Muslims destroyed, or whether building materials from other locations were simply incorporated into their structure. The former possibility is supported by the existence of a floor platform typical of a Hindu temple; the latter option is supported because Jain and Buddhist carvings were also incorporated into the structure.

Could you also tell us a little about the Buddhist and Jain images that you found during your research?

The information on the Jain and Buddhist imagery is from a study by Bandopadhyay in 1909. It is quoted by noted historian Sudipta Sen in an article available online from the journal Asian Ethnology in which he says, “Bandyopadhyaya … found a row of four Buddhas on some of the pillars seated in the *bhūmisparśa* or the “earth-witness” position, and also parts of a statute of the twenty-third Jain emissary Parshvanatha, the one who came before Mahavira ([source:478], 247).” There are more details in Sen’s paper. 

Finally, did you find any evidence of the claim that a Hindu temple was destroyed to build an Islamic shrine in Tribeni?

The evidence is inconclusive and there are some contradictory elements. It is possible that a Hindu temple stood on the site that is now the dargah of Zafar Khan but it cannot be proven.

A Leaf From the Authoritarian Toolkit: ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Was India’s Biggest Cult Build-up

Various arms of the state, including Indian embassies and Raj Bhavans, were deployed to turn the 100th episode of Narendra Modi’s radio show into an occasion for competitive sycophancy.

When way back in the 1980s Indian newspapers carried the ‘respected and beloved leader’ supplements on Korean despot Kim Il-Sung, we dismissed it with derision. No one had even remotely thought that four decades later, the same phrases will echo to eulogise our own imperious ruler. Look how Amit Shah describes Narendra Modi as India’s ‘most beloved leader’, ‘our inspiration’ and says that the people have ‘unwavering faith in his leadership’.

And ‘respected and beloved’ leader is fast becoming the government’s officialese. The term is increasingly being encouraged by government bodies like the Press Information Bureau. Every event has to be Modi-centric – from the Yoga show to diaspora functions and G-20 and ‘Mann Ki Baat’. In fact, such high-profile events get their importance from their association with the Leader.

This has been the standard toolkit of every despot from Kim Il-Sung to Tayyip Erdogan. Take the G-20. It was not the first time India presided over G-20. It happened in 1999. But unlike Modi, Vajpayee left it to his foreign minister. There were no PM banners, daily advertisements with the PM’s photos and sponsored write-ups on the rise of the ‘Vishwaguru’.

The just concluded ‘Mann ki Baat’ jamboree has surpassed all earlier records in its range, magnitude and scale of mobilisation. There is no way of estimating how much was spent on events. Gujarat AAP president put the figure at Rs 830 crore for which he was slapped with an FIR. The preparations for the 100th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ began early this year.  Who says the regime is not democratic? Didn’t it invite ideas from the public on celebrating the great Modi show? The government also sought people’s involvement in composing a jingle for the show and suggest a logo. To enhance public awareness, there was also a quiz programme on how the Leader shaped the nation’s imagination.

Anchored by the PMO, every arm of the state joined Operation ‘Mann Ki Baat’: Union ministries, BJP-ruled states, Indian embassies and high commissions and Raj Bhavans. All with the precision of a hardened absolutist. Nothing was left to chance. Consider these.

  • A postal stamp and coin commemorating the 100 episodes were released. And an artist created a micro sculpture of Modi’s bust.
  • Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar released a coffee book Voice of India, based on the radio programme, published by the information and broadcasting ministry.
  • An exhibition of paintings and historical sites mentioned in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was held in Delhi.
  • An exhibition of Amar Chitra Katha comics featuring people and themes mentioned in ‘Mann ki Baat’ and heritage sites mentioned by Modi was held in Delhi. Eminent artists were present to narrate the sequence.
  • A daylong discussion was held on nari shakti, a subject mentioned by Modi.

To further amplify the Modi buildup, a national conclave was organised at Vigyan Bhawan four days before his radio talk. Clearly, nine years in power has lured a larger number of artists and neo-intellectuals. Among those who lent their names to the conclave were Aamir Khan, Raveena Tandon, Ricky Kej, Deepa Malik, Nikhat Zareen, Poorna Malavath, and some former governors, including the old adherent Kiran Bedi. Also, friendly celebrities were persuaded to write articles for the mainstream media.

Field surveys and adulatory feedback are other preferred instruments in despots’ toolkits to prop up the leader’s image. In ‘Mann Ki Baat’, we have half a dozen highly publicised surveys, some officially sponsored and others friendly. All of them, invariably, highlighted the Leader’s popularity.

  • According to a study by the Rohtak-based Indian Institute of Management, nearly 23 crore people tune in to ‘Mann Ki Baat’ with 65% of them preferring to listen to hear the talk in Hindi. It said 96% of the people are aware of the programme.
  • IIM Ranchi will also conduct its own study on ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
  • The Institute of Competitiveness in its study found that ‘Mann ki Baat’ has ‘transformed itself into an inspirational platform that is encouraging sustainable progress on priority themes’.
  • Another study by the IIMC found that 76% of media persons believe ‘Mann Ki Baat’ played a significant role in introducing the ‘real Bharat’ to the countrymen.
  • A survey by the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj said the programme had a great impact on Modi’s Amrit Sarovar Mission and self-help groups.

Also Read: Mann ki Baat’s 100th Episode Promotion Blitzkrieg Hides ‘Very Low Listenership’ Findings

A screening of the 100th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ at Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh on April 30, 2023. Photo: PIB

All this was ably fortified by the prime minister and his acolytes. “Like Vijay Dashmi,” Modi said, “’Mann ki Baat’ has become a festival of goodness and prosperity.”

Others concurred:

“This programme, while connecting countrymen through radio, also strengthens the mutual trust and development,” said defence minister Rajnath Singh.

“‘Mann Ki Baat’ is a unique experiment that has strengthened the foundation of democracy… it is building bridges between people and government,” Union home minister Amit Shah.

“I wonder whether modern India will ever produce a person who can inspire today’s generation as Rajaram Mohan Roy, Mahatma Gandhi, Vidya Sagar, Phule and Ambedkar,” said BJP president J.P. Nadda.

“‘Mann ki Baat’ is a reflection of India’s civilisational ethos and will lay the foundation of ‘India at 100’,” said vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar. 

“‘Mann ki Baat’ was instrumental in giving a positive thrust to Ayush,” said Ayush minister Sarbanand Sonowal.

Operation ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was conducted with the precision of a tin-hat despot. Several consulates also joined in, asking people to “celebrate” the 100th episode.

“Don’t miss this on April 30… let us celebrate the landmark 100th episode,” Indian consulate general in New York appealed to the diaspora

“Get ready for the historic moment,” India’s permanent mission to UN prodded.

In the UK, where ministerial colleague Jitendra Singh was the anchor, the ‘entire’ diaspora gathered at the high commission to listen to the episode. It indicated the kind of trust people have in Modi, he said.

§

Back home, media houses vied with each other to publicise the time and bandwidths of the April 30 radio talk — well in advance.

One of the dailies had as many as seven stories the same day on what it called MKB, short for ‘Mann ki Baat’. In a video released officially, Modi himself could be seen directing the technicians on the nitty-gritty of recording the event.

Consider the mind-boggling statistics. The programme was broadcast in 22 Indian languages and 29 dialects from 500 centres. It was done in 11 foreign languages, including French, Chinese and Arabic.

Three days before the event, Modi himself launched 91 new FM transmitters in 18 states to enlarge the reach of his flagship programme. Apart from the Akashvani networks and private TV channels, 375 private radio operators were also mobilised for the task. 

Inmates of jails in friendly states were herded to listen to the Modi speech. Similarly, educational institutions were directed to make students and teachers listen to the Modi show. There were reports of students being punished with fines for not attending the show. Girl students at PGI in Chandigarh were grounded for a week for the same offence. 

BJP president J.P. Nadda said that the party had fixed 4 lakh venues to enable people to listen to Modi’s ‘historic’ address. This meant 100 centres in every assembly constituency. Ministers and senior party leaders have been posted at different stations to oversee the arrangements. And certainly, the official feedback has been so enthralling. Over 11 lakh people posted photos of their watching the show. Social media was mobbed with nine lakh tweets with ‘billions’ of impressions registered.

Need any more evidence to prove Modi’s sway over the masses? Look at the photographs officially made available and released by the godi media.

Among these were a bride and groom in Kerala, students in Kashmir, railway workers and porters, Jagdeep Dhankar with film personalities and parents with their children — all avidly listening to the Leader’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

IIM-Ranchi to Study All Episodes of PM Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’

The study aims to identify the main themes and keywords discussed in various episodes and ‘create a concise record’, thereby helping governments make more informed decisions about policies, said the IIM-Ranchi team.

New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ranchi will study all the episodes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s radio show Mann Ki Baat, which is broadcasted every month, the Indian Express reported.

The newspaper reported that IIM-Ranchi will make the data public with an “aim to help policymakers and researchers”.

This comes days after IIM-Rohtak conducted a survey Mann Ki Baat, which said that one in four Indians listen to the show, and that nearly 96% of the country’s population is aware of it.

IIM-Ranchi will analyse all the episodes – the 100th episode, too, that was aired on April 30 – with “topic modelling exercises”, the daily reported, adding that it is a way to analyse large volumes of text.

“The study aims to identify the main themes and keywords discussed in various episodes and ‘create a concise record’, thereby helping governments make more informed decisions about policies,” the report said, citing the team that will conduct the study.

The first episode was aired on October 3, 2014.

A three-member team from IIM-Ranchi will conduct the research, the report added.

The research would help people from across disciplines to access what the prime minister has spoken in the show over the last few years in the form of summary, graphs, tabular forms, Subhro Sarkar, a professor in Marketing at the institute, told the newspaper.

He explained how the research will be carried out: firstly, the team will collect data, or transcribe all 100 episodes; second, it will do a quantitative analysis, but even if some parts are not coherent, it will try to analyse them.

The study is expected to be completed in the next two months, after which it will be put up on public domain.

When asked whether there will be any analysis on what the prime minister did not address in his 100 episodes, Sarkar told IE, “That is not the primary focus of the study. It depends on what he has said.”

Separately, another study titled ‘Media In India: Access, Practices, Concerns and Effects’ published by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, found that at least three-fifths of the Indian population has never listened to the prime minister’s radio address.

The study was conducted with social scientists, Sanjay Kumar, Suhas Palshikar and Sandeep Shastri as advisers. It was released in November last year.

Rahul Gandhi Getting a Notice for Visiting Delhi University Is a Matter of Deep Concern

The Congress leader apparently trespassed by making an unannounced visit. This incident prompts us to ask if university authorities think only one voice is allowed in educational institutes.

One must applaud the sense of duty shown by the authorities of Delhi University for issuing a warning to Rahul Gandhi for his “unauthorised” visit to a hostel. They are so dutiful that they do not care about his status as a member of a ‘shahi parivar’, as the prime minister described the Congress leader recently. For them, he is just a trespasser, maybe even a criminal!

First, some context. On Wednesday, May 10, Rahul Gandhi went to the Delhi University’s PG Men’s Hostel at lunchtime, without any prior publicity. In pictures and videos, he is seen getting down from his car and entering the hostel. There is no crowd around him and his own security personnel are also not seen pushing people away. It is a sparse crowd, if we can call it a crowd at all! In other pictures, he is seen eating food in the hostel mess. There are students around him, also eating their food. They seem to be in an animated discussion. Apparently, he also interacted with students associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which is an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of the BJP.

In this era, news reaches the whole world the very next moment. But nothing more was known about Rahul Gandhi’s hostel visit, other than that he ate with the students and chatted with them for about 40 minutes. Rahul himself did not beat the drum of this “outreach”, as such visits are called these days. This shows that Rahul Gandhi didn’t want to make a national affair out of something that was solely between him and the students of the hostel.

If anyone was inconvenienced even a little bit by Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the hostel, it would have become news immediately. Was any student not able to each lunch due to the politician’s arrival? Was there any hindrance to the study schedule of the students? If there was an incident involving Rahul Gandhi that could have further discredited him, it would’ve been played up. But that did not happen.

The visit turned into news only when a university official objected to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘unauthorised’ entry to the hostel. According to the authorities, entering the hostel without taking permission was inappropriate and against the rules – after all, campuses or hostels are not public places. They are safe places and traffic there cannot be uncontrolled. They wondered how a leader of such a tall stature, who has been given state security, can be so irresponsible as to come to the hostel in this manner. It could have led to chaos. He said that it was time for the students to eat. He put them in great trouble. Disrupted their schedule! They have received complaints, they claim. According to them, Rahul Gandhi was very reckless and made the students vulnerable.

But just making a statement did not suffice. The university authorities must be admired, because they don’t do anything half-baked. They take things to their logical conclusion. We know now that the officials are sending a notice to Rahul Gandhi. Is it seeking an explanation from him? A colleague, excited by this news, said that they should in fact file an FIR against him for trespassing. He must be treated as an ordinary citizen, bound by the laws of the land.

The critics disagree

But there are people who say that even Rahul Gandhi doesn’t claim that he should be treated differently. He is not even an MP anymore. He is a leader of the opposition Congress party and a popular face. But should this fact deprive him of the rights that any ordinary citizen of India has?

These critics say that whether it is Delhi University or any other place, ordinary people have the right to entry. Are there rules which say permission must be sought from the university authorities before entering the campus of Delhi University? Anyone can visit anyone, even in the hostel. Does meeting students or eating with them create chaos?

In fact, I am also anxious after reading about the notice to Rahul Gandhi. I have been called by students of the JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia for meetings many times. I have never sought the permission of the university authorities. I am also an ordinary person. So, was I trespassing?

This episode, for the critics, is as laughable as the one in which PGIMER authorities in Chandigarh are said to have punished women students who did not attend the event where the 100th episode of Narendra Modi’s radio programme “Mann Ki Baat” was broadcast. Many institutions had made it mandatory for employees, students and teachers to participate in this public display of loyalty to Narendra Modi. How could these students dare disobey the order of the authorities?

The critics claim that the Delhi University officials are trying to prove their loyalty to their bosses. By showing that they can humiliate Rahul Gandhi, they are trying to raise their stock in the eyes of those in charge. They point out that the university is not a government body. Students are not minors and university officials are not their guardians.

They also allege that they know incidents involving the one and only authorised nationalist student organisation on the campus attacking students of other organisations or even unaffiliated students. But the authorities have never shown any willingness to call out this violence, forget the promptness with which notices were issued to Rahul Gandhi, the critics say. They point out that the university now regularly invites big and small RSS pracharaks officially. As if the official ideology of the university is Hindutva nationalism. The critics ask, while giving these RSS fellows a seat on the official table, have the university authorities ever thought about the symbolic violence that it inflicts on Muslim and Christian students? Who will be held responsible for the psychological torture these students are subjected to when their university felicitates those who deny their right to exist?

Students tell us that RSS shakhas are held on campus. If this is true, then it must be a matter of concern. These shakhas train Hindus to believe that they are supreme and that Muslims and other minorities are outsiders.

The critics say that authorities should remember that the university is an open place, in which a variety of views must be expressed and heard. Students are adults. They can decide which politician they want to meet. If the leaders of the ruling party have the right to enter the campus, so do the rest.

Can we surmise from these two episodes in Delhi University and PGIMER that Indian educational institutions are being turned into branches of the government and the RSS by the authorities? Are they telling us that only one voice is allowed in educational institutes?

Given India’s long record of democratic practice, will its young citizens allow this to happen?

PGIMER: 36 Nursing Students Grounded for Skipping Broadcast of PM’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’

Manjneek, the president of the PGI Nurses Welfare Association, told The Wire that she totally opposed the punishment given to the students as it amounted to a violation of their right to freedom.

Chandigarh: The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (PGIMER), a premier health institute in Chandigarh, is in the midst of a controversy after 36 nursing students were reportedly grounded for a week for not attending the event where the 100th episode of the prime minister’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme was broadcast on April 30.

While PGIMER has remained tightlipped since the matter came to light on Wednesday, May 10, reports suggest that the institute’s director had made attending the programme, which was held within the campus, mandatory for students.

An official note, circulating on social media, also mentioned that instructions for students to attend the PM’s radio broadcast came directly from the director’s office. PGIMER has not denied the authenticity of the circular.

The circular says that 28 third-year and eight first-year students of PGIMER’s nursing college National Institute of Nursing Education, all of them women, skipped the event.

The warden of the hostel in which the students were staying seems to have initiated the complaint. The warden says that the students were warned that if they skipped the event, their “outing” would be cancelled. The warden says that the students were informed about this on the night of April 29 and also on April 30 morning. But the 36 students chose not to attend the event.

The college in charge then passed directions to punish them for a week on May 3. The direction on the circular specifically mentions that the student’s “outing for one week” should be stopped.

PGIMER’s media department has not yet responded to media queries, even as the action taken against the students has come under severe criticism.

Manjneek, the president of the PGI Nurses Welfare Association, told The Wire that she totally opposed the punishment given to the nursing students as it amounted to a violation of their right to freedom.

She said that the Mann Ki Baat event was not an important academic lecture or seminar which demanded the mandatory presence of all students. Even skipping such seminars or lectures does not attract punishment, she pointed out. There are rules in place for students who fall short of their academic lectures, but arbitrarily grounding them is not permitted, she said.

According to her, the prime minister’s event was very much a political programme. First, the order of the institution to make the students’ presence mandatory was wrong. Participation should have been voluntary, Manjneek saod.

“Then punishing those who skipped the event is absolutely wrong. Not just me, but everyone will oppose it,” she said.

Delhi University professor Apoorvanand tweeted, “Our academic leaders have become shameless in showing their loyalty to the master. Everywhere. But it should not go unchallenged if true.”

When The Wire contacted Dr Sukhpal Kaur, principal of PGIMER’s National Institute of Nursing Education, she said that the college “always [tries] to maintain discipline in the institute”.

When asked if students violated the disciplinary rules by not attending the Mann Ki Baat event, she replied in the affirmative and said it was “a matter of discipline”.

Kaur then said that she had sent a detailed note on the incident to PGIMER authorities, and that it would be better if they responded to media queries.

A PGIMER official, commenting on the condition of anonymity, told The Wire that the matter was “unnecessarily blown out of proportion” and that a mountain was being made out of a molehill.

“There is nothing new in students facing disciplinary action for skipping official events. The PM’s event was [an official event],” the official said.

PGI media officer Saryu Madra told The Wire that an official statement will be released soon.

Action was an “over-reaction”: PGIMER statement

In a statement late on Thursday, PGIMER said the action against the students was an “over-reaction” but added that the incident “should not be given any other connotation or blown out of proportion in the larger public interest”.

The statement said students were asked to attend the broadcast “purely with an intent to enable them attend the afore-mentioned episode as a part of their regular curricular activities wherein talks, guest lectures and discussions are arranged regularly by best speakers /experts / professionals to impart them value education”.

It claimed that in an earlier episode, Prime Minister Modi “had interacted with an organ donor family, a case of transplantation from PGIMER, to promote the noble cause of organ donation, which was hugely morale boosting and invigorated more interest in the episode”.

The students who did not attend the event did not state any reason, which prompted the college authorities to take action against them.

“Though it was little over-reaction on the part of the college authorities and the concerned have already been conveyed the displeasure of PGIMER administration. We humbly urge that the issue should not be given any other connotation or blown out of proportion in the larger public interest,” the statement said.

Note: This article was originally published at 6:30 pm on May 11, 2023 and republished at 9:20 am on May 12, 2023 to include PGIMER’s statement.

Protests in Assam Over ‘Religious Symbols’ at 18th-c Monument for Mann Ki Baat Outreach

Alongside the street protest, considerable citizen outrage was noted on social media while political parties, student activists and academics across the state also expressed their shock and indignation at such a move by the Union government.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Culture picked 13 top edifices, including some Archeological Survey of India (ASI) protected ones, to be part of the Narendra Modi government’s massive public outreach to mark the 100th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on April 30. Among them was an ASI-protected 18th–century Ahom-era monument in Assam, the Rang Ghar.

However, a day before it, hundreds of locals from the northeastern state’s Sivasagar district, in which Rang Ghar is located, took to the streets, raising slogans against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its government. The trigger for the public protest was a laser show that flashed religious symbols on the façade of the edifice by a government-appointed private player roped in for the public outreach event. A PTI report quoting government officials said the show was to “showcase the historic, architectural importance and distinctiveness of the region, highlighting the diversity of India as a country, on the lines of diverse topics and themes addressed by the Prime Minister in his (radio) broadcast”.

Alongside the street protest, considerable citizen outrage was noted on social media while political parties, student activists and academics across the state also expressed their shock and indignation at such a move by the Union government. According to media reports, the religious symbols were noticed when on Friday evening, the ministry-appointed private player carried out a test run of the show to be flashed on Sunday evening as part of the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ outreach.

The first to take umbrage publicly was Sivasagar assembly constituency MLA and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi, who shot off a letter to state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and ASI director general V. Vidyavathi flagging the issue. “Rang Ghar represents the glorious era of the Ahom kingdom. It has never been used for the projection of religious symbols. Any projection of religious symbols on Rang Ghar would not be tolerated,” Gogoi wrote.

Stating that people are not opposed to Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ or the celebration, he said the laser show planned at Rang Ghar “has to presciently depict the history of Assamese jati (community) and heritage only and any other religious symbols or programs should not be depicted or projected on the structure of the Rang Ghar”.

Leader of the Opposition at the assembly and the Congress MLA from the district’s Nazira constituency, Debabrat Saikia told mediapersons that the monument is a pride of the Assamese community and “no party should be allowed to use it for political benefit or display its own symbols”.

Former All Assam Students Union general secretary and now president of the Asam Jatiya Parishad, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, too opposed the move, “Rang Ghar has its own colour; it symbolises Assam and its unity. We will not tolerate the use of any religious symbols to represent it,” PTI quoted him as saying.

News reports quoted Akhil Gogoi telling local reporters on April 29 that he received a reply from the ASI and the officials had assured him that no religious symbols would be used in the laser show. He also said that a meeting was held at the intervention of the district deputy commissioner Aditya Vikram Yadav with ASI and the controversial parts were cut out of the final show.

Later speaking to reporters, Yadav called it a “misunderstanding”, adding, that a “wrong tape” was run by the private party during the trial run on Friday night and the final cut was approved after consulting different stakeholders. “The ASI is conducting the programme and there were few trials of the laser show on Friday night. Some wrong tapes were used during the trials and some people clicked pictures of that which surfaced on social media later,” he told the Hindustan Times.

Rang Ghar, construction for which began in 1744, is Asia’s largest amphitheatre. It was used later by the Ahom kings as a sporting pavilion.

This is the second instance of the use of an Ahom-era edifice for religious purposes by the ruling BJP. In 2016, there was public outrage after RSS held a “cleanliness drive” at the 18th–century palace, Kareng Ghar, located in Sivasagar district, and allegedly raised Hindutva slogans. “Kareng Ghar is a secular place which they defiled. So we had to purify it with the help of (Ahom) priests,” Nitul Borgohain, president of All Assam Tai Ahom Students Union told New Indian Express after carrying out a ‘purification’ drive.

Mann ki Baat’s 100th Episode Promotion Blitzkrieg Hides ‘Very Low Listenership’ Findings

Low listening figures thrown up by India’s best known surveyors last November may be the reason for a mega-push for the PM’s programme. Hours of government time and public money have been spent to promote it over the past few weeks.

New Delhi: Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, must be amongst the 5% of Indians who listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio programme every month. Ahead of the show’s 100th episode to be aired this Sunday, April 30, the Union government has gone all out to launch a promotional blitzkrieg. Dhankhar, addressing a conclave at Vigyan Bhavan, said, “I have never let go of a single episode of ‘Mann ki Baat’.” 

Like Dhankhar, there were others similarly inspired by the monthly radio programme including the over 100 persons from different walks of life invited to attend the big event at Vigyan Bhawan.

However, a study titled ‘MEDIA IN INDIA: Access, Practices, Concerns and Effects’ published by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), with respected social scientists, Sanjay Kumar, Suhas Palshikar and Sandeep Shastri as advisers and released in November last year, found that at least three-fifths of the Indian population has never listened to the PM’s radio address. 

In a four page section titled, ‘PM’s Mann ki Baat: A Reality Check’, there is elaboration of the “very low listenership of PM’s Mann ki Baat”.

“Across the nation, South Indians are the least likely to have listened to the programme, most probably due to the fact that the PM’s address is in Hindi. That being said, even in the Hindi-speaking States, popularity/listenership of PMMKB is rather low,” the report says. 

“Even households that have a high media presence (TV, internet, stereo etc), two-fifths had not heard ‘Mann ki Baat’ in the last one year and three in every ten had heard it once or twice.”

What’s more, “over half of those leaning towards the BJP don’t seem to be listening to PM MKB,” the report says.

Listening details of the survey listed by Lokniti’s CSDS report are at sharp variance to what some invitees had to say. Three times Grammy winner Ricky Kej said he learnt a lot from MKB. “I learnt about so many musicians through ‘Mann ki Baat’. In February he spoke about how two or three musical instruments are becoming obscure right now and how these musicians are bringing them back, like the mandolin.”

Actor Siddharth Kannan said, “When the PM is speaking, it appears it is not the PM but a friend who is speaking…I truly believe Pradhan Mantri ji is the number one influencer in this country.”

Kannan’s views are not shared by most of India. For instance, as per the CSDS report, in north west and east India, 63% have never listened to ‘Mann ki Baat’. For south India, this figure is 75% and non-Hindi speaking states it is 62%. At least 50% of people in Hindi speaking states and 54% in North India, both the BJP’s strong holds, have not heard ‘Mann ki Baat’. 

The giant push to the PM’s programme, the Rs 100 coin being minted and the constant chatter around it, including over the top op-eds by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and photos put out of ministers attentively listening, may have been felt necessary because the show has a low uptake.

The Wire has reported on how community radio stations have been written to and strongarmed to air the forthcoming 100th episode and submit proof of having done so.

Where the PM’s programme does relatively well is in households with high media presence. The government can take solace in the fact that at least 9% people in this category have heard MKB almost every month or always. Another 30% have heard at least one or two episodes of the 99 ‘Mann ki Baat’ episodes aired so far.

Superstar Aamir Khan however said, “I think ‘Mann ki Baat’ has had a huge impact on the people of India and this is a historic thing that the PM has done.”

But the survey says that even among those that lean towards the BJP, 51% have not heard ‘Mann ki Baat’. Out of the rest of this category, 26% have heard the programme at least once. Those that are inclined towards the Congress party, 68% have not heard the radio programme and 18% have heard it once or twice. Amongst those with no clear leaning or other leanings, 67% have never heard ‘Mann ki Baat’. 

The CSDS report is at variance with what an IIM Rohtak report found. Released on Tuesday by Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, the government report which says it sampled over 10,000 people says more than 100 crore people have listened to the programme since its inception. Twenty three crore have listened regularly as per Prof Dheeraj Sharma, director, IIM Rohtak. However, the report does not say what is the percentage of people listening in regularly. Sharma only said 96% of Indians are aware of ‘Mann ki Baat’.

The IIM Rohtak report says ‘Mann ki Baat’ has influenced people to the extent that over 60% have expressed interest in “working for nation building”, another 63% feel their “approach towards the government has become positive” and 73% “feel optimistic about the government’s working and the country’s progress”. 

Incidentally, Sharma’s appointment as director IIM Rohtak is under a cloud after the Ministry of Education told a local Rohtak court his “appalling, immoral, unethical and fraudulent misconduct” makes him “totally unfit” to hold the post of an IIM director. Sharma is accused of sexual misconduct and an earlier closure report filed by the local police was rejected by the court which ordered a fresh probe. The government that had earlier cleared Sharma had submitted that Sharma was unfit to hold the post.

Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, information and broadcasting secretary Apurva Chandra and Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi were also present at the inaugural session of the conclave in New Delhi. In it, Dhankhar released a coffee table book, Mann Ki Baat@100 and another book Collective Spirit, Concrete Action authored by S.S. Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati.

The 100th episode of the PM’s show is set to be aired on Sunday, April 30, 2023.

‘Mann ki Baat’: Community Radio Stations ‘Advised’ to Air 100th Episode, Send Proof to Modi Govt

‘Mann ki Baat’ was the reason for a PIB briefing yesterday. A Rs 100 coin is also being minted as a special commemoration, which Modi himself will ‘release’, evoking thoughts of a coronation rather than routine broadcasts by a Prime Minister in a democracy.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued instructions to all community radio stations across the country to broadcast the 100th episode of the Prime Minister’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, live. The 100th episode of Modi’s broadcast on state media has been receiving a massive push in the past few days, and a ‘Rs 100’ coin series is also being minted to ‘commemorate’ it. The coin, which complete with the logo and title of Modi’s radio show, will be released by Modi himself. It is a step evocative of a coronation, rather than of a prime minister in a democracy in a routine broadcast.

While such instructions to carry ‘Mann ki Baat’ have gone out in the past as well, this time the government means business. The Community Radio Station cell of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on April 24 issued instructions calling for ‘proof’ of the broadcast having taken place.

“Community Radio Stations are advised to send, a one-minute audio clip of the broadcast consisting of 25 seconds of the initial portion broadcast and 25 seconds of last portion of broadcast appending the name of the Community Radio Station, immediately after completion of the broadcast. The audio clip may be sent through link which shall be shared shortly.”

Not only this, the radio station is also expected to celebrate the 100th episode of ‘Mann ki Baat’ and send a photograph as additional evidence. In addition to this, the letter says that “a photo of the community listening to the broadcast as a memoir” is also required to be sent to the ministry.

The 100th episode which the MIB describes as a “historic event” will be aired on Sunday, April 30th at 11 am. The feed will be available from All India Radio as well as the Newsonair app. 

Views on Mann ki Baat

However, community radio operators are not excited about this “significant milestone”.

Says a radio operator, “On a weekend, people have already made their plans. There are very few listeners tuned in anyway. But this time, because it is compulsory, we will have to air it. Otherwise we rarely air these episodes.”

Ram Prasad of Radio Dhimsa from Koraput in Odisha says that because the station’s slots are already scheduled, it has not had occasion to air ‘Mann ki Baat’ before. “We have shows on health, education, livelihood support, etc. and since the slots are already prepared, ‘Mann ki Baat’ could not be aired. We have never received a reminder of this kind by the ministry to air the programme. But if it is compulsory, we will discuss it with the management and decide.”

Rajesh Prasad Verma of Radio Jagriti from Jharkhand told The Wire, that private commercial broadcasters do not air ‘Mann ki Baat’ in the first place.

“These instructions are only sent to community radio stations it seems. I had asked this question to former Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar during an on-air interaction but he ignored my question. As it is, we have little or no source of income and are paid measly amounts in advertisements but the royalty we have to pay is Rs 23,500 per annum and if we fail to do so, a penalty is imposed with 2% interest per month,” Verma said.

Sachin Menkudale, vice-president of the Community Radio Association (CRA), agreed on the point of meagre earnings. “Government advertisement rates were recently raised and are now Rs 52 for 10 seconds. This is too little,” he added.

Professor Vinod Pavarala of the University of Hyderabad and UNESCO Chair on Community Media said that the move reduces community radio to “last mile carriers of government propaganda” at the cost of empowering them as independent community service providers. “If private radio was dictated to, they too would fall in line,” he added.

Pavarala said there have hardly been any additions to community radio stations in the past 10 years. Of the 400 odd stations, many have gone off air or are in the process of surrendering their licence. Out of these 400, no more than 10% stations have come up in the past 10 years. 

Another member of the CRA said that it is purely due to the goodwill enjoyed by some officials in the MIB that radio stations air ‘Mann ki Baat’. Otherwise, he said, it is aired “only to show proof that the programme is being aired.”

A radio station owner from Haryana said that while he has never run ‘Mann ki Baat’ – “since it is run on several TV channels and radio stations” – he will comply with what seems to be an order this time.

More CRA embers said government orders have to be complied with since this is part of the agreement when licences are issued.

Gayatri Usman of Radio Kadal Osai disagreed. She said there is no compulsion to air the ‘Mann ki Baat’ episodes. “The ministry has also issued an invite, and even there it is not a compulsion. And each station has its own stand. We at Kadal Osai FM 90.4 CR will air the speech of our country’s prime minister,” he said.

A special study on the show was released by the Press Information Bureau. Professor Dheeraj P. Sharma, director of IIM Rohtak is cited in the special PIB release on ‘Mann ki Baat’, released on April 24, where he said, “Nearly 96% of people are aware of ‘Mann ki Baat’. More than 100 crore people have listened to it at least once since its inception, which is a reflection of how far the reach of ‘Mann ki Baat’ has gone. 23 crore people have listened to the programme regularly.”