IAC To AAP: What Promise, Switching To A Political Party ?
Kusal Perara
“Mr. Modi is now invariably relegated to the inside pages while every initiative of AAP dominates the front page of national newspapers. Mr. Modi’s pronouncements also seem to hold less interest for TV audiences than Mr. Kejriwal’s, who is undoubtedly the flavour of the season and crucial to the ratings of television channels.” wrote Bharath Bhushan, a reputed political journalist to “The Asian Age” on 10 January, 2014.
Bhushan tries to capture the urban middle class sentiment that pins plenty hope in Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Admi Party in India. That wish is not less here in Colombo too. With no decent opposition in Sri Lanka, there is political wish making, looking at India. Sri Lanka should have a Kejriwal too. The print media in particular caters to such wishful writing. This attempts to see through those colourful, urban middle class tapestry.
Present day media does not reflect feelings and aspirations of the larger society that plays small or no role as consumers in a neo liberal market economy. In India that has 30 percent below poverty line, media reflects only that of the economically vibrant middle class with a daily spending capacity of at least 10 dollars. Media today is heavily market based and therefore mirrors the dominant consumer segment with a “buying power”. What Bhushan says in “The Asian Age” is therefore right. The media is now following Aam Admi Party (AAP) and Arvind Kejriwal, the public expression of corporate management and IT professionals, technocrats, lawyers, NGO activists, celebrities and the like that makes the rich and affluent urban middle class of new India. Those who want to define India according to their wants and comforts.
The rich Indian middle class (leaving out those who can only afford 09 dollars or less per day), 67 million in 2012 and growing, is considered the “high potential of the domestic market”, for investments in India. “…..However, our respondents continue to cite inadequate infrastructure and a lack of governance and transparency as major obstacles to investment. The majority of our respondents believe that improving these obstacles will have a high impact on India’s attractiveness” (emphasis added) wrote Ernest & Young in their 2012 India Attractiveness Survey report titled “Ready for the Transition”. The Ernest & Young survey was a total reflection of the rich, “urban middle class mindset” that wanted improvements in governance and transparency with no change in economic policy. Read More
