Few
days ago, I was watching a panel debate on a leading TV News Channel according
to which ‘the nation wants to know!’ (No points for guessing the channel or the
show). It was about how extensive and effective the role of the internet and
social media is in creating political awareness and whether it is an important
sphere to look at before and after elections and all related tangential topics.
The guests being spokespersons from the 2 largest national parties and a poor
columnist who barely got a 3rd of the time the others got to make
his point. However, he made the most sense that night and even managed to
silence the moderator to my surprise.
Jokes
apart, this debate is a comparatively new one and understandably so, because use
of social media by parties itself is a recent concept. The Bharatiya Janata
Party has an obvious advantage as they started off earlier and they supposedly
have social media teams working round the clock. These teams mainly maintain
Twitter and Facebook pages of the party and the leaders, apart from keeping
websites updated and posting feeds and blogs occasionally. The PM candidate of
the same party has a huge social media presence. His followers are unparalleled
in number and active as ever, even composing anthems that have gone somewhat
viral on YouTube. The Indian National Congress dismisses this presence by
alleging that most of his followers are fake/paid. At first, I thought that
this was just a defence to the abysmal numbers on pages of leaders from their
own party, but after the night of that particular TV debate, it got me
thinking. Mr.Sanjay Jha and Mr.Tehseen Poonawallah, who speak for the Congress
made a remark that 72-74% of Modi’s followers are fake. In a huge blunder,
Ms.Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP refuted the argument saying that only 60-65% were
fake. I find it quite funny… 60% is still huge and if they are trying to fool
the media and the people with large numbers, it isn’t working. Rahul’s rallies
in UP had humongous attendance at every place but the results of the elections
spoke a different story. Go figure!
The
social media is definitely a way of connecting to the semi-urban and urban
classes, mainly the youth. We spend a major chunk of our time on these sites
and a significant number of us track news stories and national issues through
these sites as the updates are live and happen in real time. Parties across the
board must realize this and step up their game. The medium must be used as an
agent to reach out to the youth and connect with them. It should not be just
for some kind of propaganda and campaigning for the next elections. Having said
that, elections cannot be fought on the internet alone. Majority of the country
still does not have access to computers and internet, forget Facebook and
Twitter. Some political commentators are also warning the BJP that these
supporters and followers (40-60% of them that are supposedly the ‘real’ ones) on
the internet are the ones that do not come out to cast their votes. They remain
mere ‘keyboard warriors’ that flood cyberspace with love and support but do not
care to step out on polling day.
For
the past few days, websites and news have been filled with stories of
‘CoalGate’. That an FIR was filed against Kumara Mangalam Birla was the
trending topic for a while and hazaar comments from various ministers,
politicians and corporate honchos filled the screens of TVs, mobiles and
computers. An ex-babu making a statement about the PM made matters worse for
the Govt and the ruling party. His silence is baffling and credibility at an
all-time low. He might not be guilty, but that is not the point.
The
Government has already suffered embarrassment over withdrawal of the bill
shielding convicted lawmakers after Rahul made his voice heard. These days, the
Vice-President of the Congress and probable PM candidate is in the news for all
the right reasons. The ‘this nonsense deserves to be torn’ remark brought him to
the forefront of change in ideology the youth want see. As a result, Lalu
Prasad Yadav(been in the net for a while now), an ally of the INC was sent to
jail. His speeches at recent rallies have struck a chord with the people too.
But is this too little too late? Modi has been better at this and that too for
quite some time now.
Getting
back to the other ‘net’, some suggest that in the future, voting should be
allowed on the internet too. This will cater to the ‘keyboard warriors’ and
might really increase voting percentages and voter participation. It is an
important time for the country when political awareness and activism is taking
centrestage and a huge number of regional and local alternatives are coming to
the forefront of the political landscape. A few ‘clean’ alternatives like Aam
Aadmi Party and Lok Satta Party also seem to be gaining popularity but the
actual results will be seen in the forthcoming assembly and general elections.
These parties too, since they are new and do not have massive ‘funding’ are
trying to use the internet to its maximum potential to reach out to voters.
A
few allege that I am biased towards the Congress party and some even say that I
am a paid agent. These preposterous allegations are baseless and the fact
remains that I have and never will be biased towards any single party. My
support or the lack of it is totally issue-based and the country should also
steer away from fearful thoughts of imaginary riots and unrest in the future
and vote for a stable model of governance, harmony and progress. The
constitution, media and of course the citizens will never allow anything wrong.
In conclusion, it is up to the actual voter and not the keyboard warriors to
decide the future of the country. @Confused? #don’t
be… remember to vote! J
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