Bihar Elections, Netflix, and Bail.
Bihar results have revealed many things, the BJP’s superior voting machinery is still working at a greater efficiency than others despite their governance failures. The rise of RJD and Left parties in Bihar is indeed a welcome sign and Tejaswi Yadav could well be a force to reckon with in the years to come. However, BJP has improved its seats considerably from their last elections. They also have a better strike rate compared to the Grand Old Party, Congress which could only win 19 out of 70 seats. It would have been far better had the Left parties received more seats, this victory will surely reinvigorate the BJP cadres when it comes to 2024 general elections.
The opposition really needs to get it’s act together if they even want to put a fight in the future, BJP probably has already begun their groundwork and just like the last elections, the catch-up game would fail to work. Congress surely needs to introspect within their party and listen to their own ‘dissenting’ leaders, a party that is still undecided on their President will always be taken lightly by the voters. Congress should also realize the fact that the good “boy” image of Rahul Gandhi will not help them win elections, they must surely need to find a better PM candidate to field against an Amit Shah or even Modi and even go to the extent a finding a face from other parties belonging to Mahagadbhadan. At least, they can salvage the ire from those against nepotism.
They should also target their campaign against the failures of the government as Tejaswi Yadav’s focus on employment and prosperity did yield votes. Congress should definitely move away from making personal attacks on Modi or other BJP leaders, Chowkidar chor hein wouldn’t work in a country that considers Modi as God.
The news of regulation of OTT platforms and digital news is an affront to one’s freedom. The platforms have definitely helped fight piracy and the move to govern these will surely result in viewers going back to their VPNs. A government that cannot provide clean air and drinking water must never be allowed to regulate or censor content for which adults pay. If the OTT platforms do not fight the censorship, they will eventually fade out resulting in another failure of a relatively new industry in India. We also need to call out the regulation because today if they regulate what we watch, tomorrow they will regulate what we eat, wear, and speak. To curb the creative spirits of content creators has always been a tool of an authoritarian government. If you are a subscriber, speak out before we lose a better service.
Arnab surely deserved bail and no one needs to be in jail for an alleged crime yet to proved in the eyes of the law. The same privilege must also be available for all citizens and not just for a TV anchor who has destroyed the ethics of journalism. A court which gives NIA 20 days to decide on a sipper bottle for a person suffering from Parkinson’s disease is no court at all. The Supreme Court has openly revealed its saffron colors, especially when Kerala Journalist Siddique Kappan has been in jail for over a month charged under UAPA for carrying out his journalistic duty of reporting Hathras crime and a dozen other activists charged for ‘thought crimes.’
It wouldn’t be long before people start marching towards the Supreme Court and the judges’ house for justice. Our democracy’s strength comes from our constitution, if only the legislative, executive, and judiciary gave some regard for it.