By Ranjona Banerji
If you know that song by The Who, you know it. The one about the “old boss same as the new boss”.
Like 2023 and 2024.
The new year began with an earthquake in Japan and the very odd dictator of North Korea threatening to “annihilate the US”.
Business as usual.
Nothing has changed in Israel and Gaza either.
And definitely not in India.
Where the beloved and faithful media ignores three arrested rape suspects because they are BJP and concentrates instead on noisy negotiations within opposition coalitions. If they mention the arrests, they play down the BJP angle. If they are bored of coalitions, they get sticky with marmalade recipes.
You get the drift. The usual story.
More violence in Manipur. More dead bodies. So the Prime Minister of India wishes the Chief Minister of Manipur a happy birthday on Twitter, or rather X. This is big news. Not because the PM mentioned Manipur, which has more or less been ignored. But because the PM is so sweet and thoughtful.
As we go into election year, what will be more visible? The total domination of the mainstream media by the BJP or the total capitulation of the mainstream media when it sees the BJP?
Regardless of what the mainstream media highlights, there are niggles of anger emerging across India. These will not be the subject of media focus, for as long as the narrative is controlled.
The inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya later this month will be carried out at our cost, government cost, no matter how it’s disguised, and it will overshadow everything else in the news. The pawns are already in place – little Bollywood starlings and starlets ready with their social media propaganda pieces on how they have never been as proud. Perhaps all the sports stars and other stars who did not show any solidarity with our wrestlers will also emerge from their tobacco-pouch-ad induced stupor to also dance a couple of temple jigs.
This is 2024 India. Same as 2023 India. Although, there will be more media frenzy because this is an election year. Issues affecting people will be lost. Optics and showmanship will be all-consuming.
The current social media trend is to get the BJP’s secret santas, whether they belong to the BJP or other parties, to amplify how India invented science, history, geography, literature etc, straight out of that old Dinanath Batra_PN Oak playbook with modern touches provided by Sanghi writers of fictional mythology, history and so on. These will be amplified by captive TV channels. And thus news mingles with propaganda and a new mythology. India will be reminded by the media that no Indian was ever proud of India until 2014 and here’s your other chance for 2024.
Won’t get fooled again, did you say?
I wonder.
In the rest of the world, it’s as bad. The assaults on Gaza and Palestinians by the Israeli forces continue. The most powerful western nations continue to support Israel. Famous people who speak up for Palestinians get punished by their sponsors, employers and social media. Genocide will continue. Antisemitism will rise and the West will think it’s won again.
Won’t get fooled again?
More like: Fool us once, fool us twice, fool us…
Happy 2024!
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her views here are personal