Publicity as news: ABP blurs the line between performance and promotion for Modi and Yogi

The Supreme Court’s Babri Masjid judgement, India’s “improved” global standing, a rise in attacks by terrorists “irked” by the policy on terrorism, and Narendra Modi’s spiritual side. These are among the achievements and decisions of the prime minister that ABP News is trumpeting through its weekly show Modi Tracker.

This isn’t the only programme blurring the line between a news show and an advertisement. ABP News has a Yogi Tracker too which attempts to showcase Adityanath’s “tireless” work as the chief minister to convert Uttar Pradesh into a one trillion dollar economy.

Launched on April 10 and aired at 9 pm on Saturdays, Modi Tracker has seen seven episodes so far, while Yogi Tracker, telecast at 8 pm on Sundays since April 24, has had three episodes.

While Indian TV news channels are not loathe to heaping praises on Modi and Adityanath, as Newslaundry has documented, none except ABP News has aired entire shows dedicated to them.

The objective of Modi Tracker is to “inform viewers” of “every” policy, decision and step taken by the prime minister, the show’s anchor, Romana Isar Khan, states at the beginning. As the Modi government completes eight years, let’s take a look at what the show has trumpeted so far.

Pakistan and Pandits

The first episode of Modi Tracker focussed on India’s relationship with Pakistan. “Narendra Modi has brought Pakistan to its knees,” Romana said in the opening monologue, suggesting that India had been able to get the better of its neighbour due to the prime minister’s strategy of “ignoring” Islamabad. The show credited Modi for India’s “improved relations” with the Gulf nations after the Article 370 abrogation and counted this as a blow to Pakistan. It cited an invitation to India and Pakistan’s absence from a 2019 Organisation of Islamic Countries summit to drive home the point.

The next two episodes were devoted to Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, where he addressed his first rally since August 5, 2019, when his government unilaterally stripped the region of its constitutional autonomy and put it under a months-long military lockdown and communications blackout.

The second episode explored the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits and how Modi had supposedly always been sympathetic to their cause. The show didn’t deem it important to note that the Modi government had not announced any specific new scheme for the Pandit community despite projecting itself as their champion.

To suggest that Kashmiri Hindus were being targeted before Modi’s visit, the show cited a letter purportedly threatening the community which was shared on Twitter by Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri, even after Alt News had raised questions about its authenticity.

The third episode claimed that the abrogation of Article 370, which promised Jammu and Kashmir a modicum of autonomy, had led to “development” of the region despite the machinations of Pakistan-backed terrorist groups. Soaring unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir was conspicuously absent from the show’s narrative. The episodes also gave more attention to “terror” as compared to the demand for elections and the restoration of the political process in the region.

“The Modi government has done what no other government since independence could do,” said the voiceover, referring to the August 5 decision. The reporter, Aasif Qureshi, spoke about the increase in terror attacks to derail the “development efforts” made since 2019. “Whatever else may be the case the prime minister’s terrorism policy has frightened terrorists,” the anchor chimed in.

The fourth episode uncovered Modi’s “spiritual side” and how the Char Dham project, to widen 889 km of hill roads to provide all-weather connectivity to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines, is close to his heart. “Narendra Modi has the record of being the first prime minister to visit Kedarnath so many times,” said Romana Isar Khan. The show had a snippet on the “Modi cave” where the prime minister meditated for “17 hours” in Kedarnath ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

The fifth episode talked about Modi’s visit to Nepal on Buddha Jayanti, and how it also had strategic significance given China was investing heavily in infrastructure in the neighbouring country.

The sixth episode gushed about the transformation of India’s global image that the prime minister had effected and his standing as one of the most influential leaders in the world. Referring to Modi’s visit to Japan for the Quad summit, the anchor stated, “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s prestige has quadrupled.” Just how the APB News people had quantified the increase in India’s prestige so precisely wasn’t explained.

As montages of Modi with world leaders appeared on screen, the voiceover talked about India’s newfound image as a “powerful” nation, “equal to any other country” with the ability to manage global affairs. Interestingly, the TV channel skipped any mention of India’s continuing slide in global rankings pertaining to hunger, poverty, press and religious freedoms. It also gave a miss to discussing the strategic challenges emanating from China and Afghanistan, and a neighbourhood in turmoil.

The latest Modi Tracker episode looked at the eight biggest decisions taken by his government in its eight years in power – the Supreme Court’s judgement handing over the land on which Babri Masjid stood for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya even as the anchor agreed the government had no “direct role” to play; demonetisation, rollout of GST, criminalisation of triple talaq, surgical strikes in Pakistan, Covid lockdown, abrogation of Article 370, and the new citizenship law.

If at all, references to India’s sliding economy have only appeared as side notes so far in the series – in the context of Modi’s five-trillion-dollar-economy vision for India.

‘Good governance’

Yogi Tracker similarly features anchors boasting about Adityanath’s tireless efforts for the development of Uttar Pradesh, on the prime minister’s cue.

The first episode focussed on the chief minister’s plans to transform Uttar Pradesh into a trillion dollar economy – a target set by the prime minister. Accompanying a montage, a voiceover stated, “The second term of the Yogi government has begun framing a new definition of good governance.”

The second and third episodes featured the government’s efforts to make Uttar Pradesh a hub of spiritual tourism, with the spotlight on Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura.

In the third episode, the anchor said Adityanath was not leaving no stone unturned to fulfil “Modi’s dream” of turning Kashi into Kyoto. The anchor stated that “the day is not far” when this goal would be achieved.

On the ground, reporter Gyanendra Tiwari went around Kashi to check for signs of development. “How fast are new hotels coming up here?” he asked a local guest house owner, who said small facilities are being launched in the area. “How much has your business grown since the Kashi Vishwanath corridor was built?” Tiwari asked an electric rickshaw driver, who claimed that his earnings have nearly doubled now.