INDIA Bloc Announces Boycott of News Anchors
In a significant move, the INDIA bloc’s sub-committee on media has released a list of news anchors whose shows they plan to boycott in the future. This decision was a key outcome of the coordination committee meeting of the Opposition-led INDIA bloc. The authorized sub-committee on media has identified specific news anchors, and none of the INDIA parties will send their representatives to participate in their shows.
Following Wednesday’s meeting, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal revealed that the coordination committee had granted authority to the media sub-group to select which news anchors’ programs would no longer feature representatives from any of the INDIA parties.
The list, which has been shared by several member parties of the INDIA coalition, includes the names of prominent news anchors such as Arnab Goswami from Republic Network, Sudhir Chaudhary from Aaj Tak, Amish Devgan from News18 Hindi, Navika Kumar from TimesNow, and Gaurav Sawant from IndiaToday Group, among 14 others.
INDIA Bloc Announces Boycott of News Anchors; Releases List
This decision by the INDIA bloc is seen as a strategic move to influence public opinion, which they believe has been influenced by the BJP through mainstream media outlets. Opposition parties have increasingly relied on social media and independent journalists to convey their message and counter what they perceive as a pro-government bias in the mainstream media.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha explained, “There are some anchors who conduct provocative debates. We’ll make a list of them, and INDIA alliance partners will stop going to their shows.” This boycott is a response to what the opposition sees as sensational and divisive journalism.
During the coordination committee meeting, other crucial matters were also discussed, including seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the formation of state-level committees to facilitate discussions with INDIA parties in different states. The meeting, attended by 12 member parties, also decided to hold the coalition’s first public meeting in Bhopal.
However, it’s worth noting that ahead of the meeting, the BJP raised concerns about the Opposition’s agenda to hold congregations, alleging that they were convening to discuss the ‘abolition of Hinduism.’ Union minister Giriraj Singh asserted, “The INDIA alliance meeting is taking place to abolish Hindus, which is evident from what a Tamil Nadu minister had said,” referring to recent remarks by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin about Sanatan Dharma.
In summary, the decision by the INDIA bloc to boycott specific news anchors’ shows represents a strategic shift in how they engage with the media. It reflects their efforts to counter perceived biases in mainstream media and control their narrative through alternative means, such as social media and independent journalism.
