New Delhi. The first phase of seven-phase Lok Sabha elections was successfully completed in the country on Friday. Meanwhile, a well-planned anti-BJP and Modi campaign is going on in a section of the western media. The general elections, held on a unique scale reflecting the vibrant diversity of the country, are considered as the biggest festival of democracy, with the participation of 96.88 crore registered voters, the highest in the world.
Instead of appreciating the free, fair and peaceful conduct of the elections, some global media outlets are continuing their attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government, which was given the reins of power for 10 years by the people by giving them an absolute majority for two consecutive terms.
From ‘Narendra Modi is preparing new attacks on democratic rights’ and ‘India’s elections: deciding victory by invalidating dissent harms democracy’ to ‘Will India’s election results increase intolerance’ and ‘Narendra Modi’s In the last few weeks, some major Western news organizations have published several one-sided articles with headlines like ‘With or without them, India can develop rapidly’.
An article published earlier this week by a New York-based US news service titled ‘Modi is making India’s election about himself’ said, “Modi is no guarantee for the survival of India’s democracy.” .” Perhaps irritated by the huge popularity of PM Modi inside and outside India, a section of the foreign media is also raising questions on the voting machines.
Having by now exhausted their ammunition against the ruling government, some news outlets have tried to play the divisive card by running coverage with headlines like ‘Progressive South rejecting Modi’. Several attempts have also been made to raise India’s internal issues in regular news briefings organized by the administrations of some countries.
Analysts believe such coverage only reflects growing frustration in the Western media as PM Modi is widely expected to return to power for the third consecutive term in June. Earlier this month, in an interview with Newsweek, Prime Minister Modi took on those who accuse his government of engaging in religious discrimination.
He said, “These are typical of some people who do not bother to meet people outside their circle. Even India’s minorities no longer accept this narrative. Minorities of all religions – be they Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains or even micro-minorities like Parsis are living happily and growing in India.”
There are many exceptions, including some from unexpected areas. Last year, in a rare accolade, Chinese government mouthpiece Global Times published an article praising India’s significant progress in economic development, social governance and foreign policy under PM Modi’s leadership.
India’s strong economic growth, improvements in urban governance and a change in approach towards international relations, especially with China, were acknowledged in the article written by Zhang Jiadong, director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, Shanghai. .
Jiadong wrote, “For example, when discussing the trade imbalance between China and India, Indian representatives previously focused primarily on China’s measures to reduce the trade imbalance, but now they also focus on India’s export potential. But are putting more emphasis on.”
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Tags: Loksabha Election 2024, Loksabha Elections, Narendra modi
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 20, 2024, 22:22 IST