NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has anointed India’s state-backed broadcaster as his media brand of choice, helping shield his government from tough questions and prompting private news outlets to complain that they are being kept out of the loop.
Starchy and unpolished, Doordarshan News and All India Radio (AIR) were not the obvious choice for a government that took power in May after a high-octane election campaign that used special effects to beam Modi’s image to rallies across the nation.
But the old-fashioned outlets are expected to offer one big advantage over their slicker private rivals: a less combative and questioning platform from which Modi can get his message out to tens of millions of Indians.
Carefully controlled communication has been a defining characteristic of the new government since Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power.
Critics see it as one symptom of a broader leadership style under Modi that has weakened opponents, sidelined ministers and concentrated power in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said Modi’s preference for the public broadcaster was not an attempt to suppress information or limit access.
