In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, India Today Group Vice-Chairperson and Executive Editor-in-Chief Kalli Purie Saturday said the media cannot play the role of the opposition.
“Expecting it to do that leads to unfair charges of Godi or Modi media,” she remarked while delivering her thank you note towards the end of the two-day-long India Today Conclave.
Purie’s comments came in the backdrop of the election commission announcing the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections which is set to further raise the political temperature in the coming months when media will be subject to larger scrutiny and attack.
“If the opposition is in disarray the media cannot be blamed for it. We cannot present another side equally strongly if it doesn’t exist,” Purie said, adding: “We are observers in this boxing match. We are not the players. If one side is weak or doesn’t show up, we cannot jump into the ring. This is not fear. This is a matter of rules, roles, and competence. We are the medium. We are not the message,”
Delivering another “thank you” note after the keynote speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Purie said, “Recently, I had the good fortune of walking from the old parliament to the new parliament. They are just 30 steps apart. But it’s like walking between two Indias. The one I was born in and the one I will pass on to the next generation. I love them both.”
“But they are a world apart. The new parliament is pristine, organised, efficient, full of light, and holds a lot of promise and hope for the future. The old is musty, dusty, full of our rich history, the corridors whisper of our triumphs, great debates, and remembrances, embodying the soul of our ancient nation and young democracy. Walking between the two is a surreal experience. You enter in one century, and you come out in another. It is the story of your leadership, Prime Minister, in 30 steps,” she said.
“Both of them have their own charm, and I believe both are essential if we are going to be a great nation. I hope that you will be able to bridge the two as only you can. The great Indian spirit in an enriched, enlightened new avatar,” Purie concluded.
The India Today Group has earned accolades by winning at the WAN-IFRA’s 22nd Asian Media Awards 2023.