Observations:

1. It was very anguishing to watch BJP spokesman being grilled one after the other almost endlessly
Thier opinion on most issues was trivialised not only by plastic smiling anchors but even by biased audience.
It was as if they had entered in an interrogation centre.

2. On issues related to weak governance, the anchors were seen batting for the congress.
The congress ministers were being prompted/helped during interviews.
There was no coverage of ineffective congress ministers & their policies – at all.

3. During the last phase of elections the news anchors went a step further.
They tried to break BJP alliance partners, pushed Left front in UPA camp and formed an anti BJP front.
They started quoting constitutional experts, that the largest party need not be invited to form government.

4. Just before counting day, the media also fooled the Left front & regional parties into forming a “secular front with congress”.
While it was the Congress party that ate into major chunk of their vote bank.
They were quoting left front – “We won’t allow BJP to form government at any cost”.

The result was surprising & regional parties were decimated.
In Bengal, it was BJP that prevented a complete rout of the Left by dividing votes & saving them 6 seats.
BSP was left with only dalit/hindu votes & SP does not have a single Muslim MP!

It was a trick in visual imagery.
The general middle class perceptions on BJP would have been different had the TV channels shown repetitive videos of:
Shivraj Patil fumbling, virulent speeches of Muslim League leaders, divisive policies of Arjun Singh etc.

So my humble suggestion to BJP is to setup own TV channel.
The above view echoed in several of the comments posted across the internet.

Benefits of setting own news channel:

1. Instantly reach an audience in Kerala/West Bengal/Tamil Nadu/Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP presence is zero.
They constitute 143 out of 543 seats and in those states the TV penetration is staggering.

2. Unlike other parties, BJP has intellectual depth. Its leaders are presentable & knowledgeable.
Information can be presented cohesively – especially without stupid interrogations.

3. Using your own TV medium would allow you to present your side of the story and set your agenda.
Let the Left, SP, BSP, NCP etc take on the Congress in TV debates.

4. Every political party except the BJP has its own TV channel.
By proxy Congress operates several TV channels across regional lines apart from the leading two news channels in India.
Even regional parties now have their own TV channels.

In TV news channels it was the BJP interviews, speeches & briefings that were most watched/popular programs.
Every spokesperson was articulate, knowledgeable and had an air of superiority.
However the news channels used BJP, presented them as a ruling party, polarized voters, increased their own TRP’s while all time vilifying them!

It is time to give the agents of congress party some competition.
For a start – stop visiting those two news channels and watch their TRP fall.

In 2008 we all suffered from poor governance in India by the UPA government. Now they have gone step further and removed “governance”. The prime minister will be out of action for a minimum of 4 weeks. How can a nation as complex as India be governed without a prime minister? But as Supreme Court said – even god cannot save India.

First there was no home minister, then they shifted finance minister and now there is no Prime Minister. Can’t we even select a prime minister from 1.2 billion people? As it is there are very few elected representatives occupying higher posts in cabinet.

Or does the decision making power lie else where and it doesn’t make a difference whether we have a prime minister or not.

As usual the mainstream media will not cover any lapse of UPA government and be a good prompter for the ruling congress government. Elections are approaching fast and the media will try its best to embarrass the BJP. Instead of focussing on this issue of national importance they are busy covering frivolous stories of some boys beating girls in a bar.

As a result of UPA government’s mishandling of several sensitive issues, India is today facing numerous challenges like:

Democracy maligned

After the cash for vote scam, there is little credibility left for our elected leaders. Our main triumph, as being the world’s largest democracy sounds a little hollow today. Now, it is not democracy but plutocracy (wealthy rule over the poor) that has been imposed on India.

Threat to Territorial integrity

Kashmir seems to be in a hopeless situation. For the first time we are watching live on TV, discussions & debates whether we should give up a part of the country. There are live images of Indian flags being burned; leading columnists are asking questions which would have been considered as anti national anywhere else.

Rising Regionalism

Is it a crime to talk in national language? India’s most respected film artist had to apologise on his wife’s behalf for daring to speak in Hindi. And a local unelected regional leader openly challenges the police commissioner to come on street, without wearing uniform. The state government does not even have guts to file a case, while his goons go on a rampage across Maharashtra.

Unabated Inflation

The prices of almost all essential commodities have doubled over the past three years. Economists may argue that it is a global phenomenon, but low wages and poverty is not a global phenomenon. There is no concept of social security in India, unlike other countries where inflation effect is absorbed by government.

Pseudo secularism at its worst

In the name placating minorities the government has crossed all limits. In Andhra, Christians will be subsidized for a visit to Vatican. Delhi has reservation and education subsidies for Sikhs, Parsis & Jains but not for poor Hindus. Although it is common knowledge that they are high above in the per capita level and don’t need subsidies.

Terrorism Threat

Serial bomb blasts seems to have become a monthly feature in Indian calendar. The response by our home minister is always the same, that we must be patient and not take revenge. But there is absolutely no will power to counter terror. Almost all educated people want strict terror laws except our home minister who is mysteriously reluctant. To make matters worse, some cabinet ministers are openly supporting terrorist organizations.

The UPA government has postponed the winter session. The entire focus of the present government seems to be in somehow operatinalizing the Indo – US nuclear deal. There is a view that the government is in a hurry to sign some large contracts related to defence and nuclear supplies and is not bothered about the nitty gritty of running the country.

As humble citizens of India, we would request the election commission to chair an emergency meeting and discuss about the modalities of holding an early general election. Hope they act before it is too late!