At this week's event, hosted by CNN-News18, all the politicians invited are from the BJP. No one from any opposition party is advertised as a speaker. Even those that claim to promote 'journalism of courage' have become platforms for the powerful to voice their opinions to select elite audiences.
When such media events began in the 1990s it was the normal practice that apart from speakers from the government there would also be speakers from opposition political parties. Sometimes there would be a panel of speakers with both the political party in government and ones in opposition represented. That was the era in which a plural and liberal democracy was thriving. Today, there’s no place for such balance even in media hosted events.
by Sanjaya Baru
19/03/2024