Manmohan, Mahendra & The Media

Manmohan Singh & Mahendra Singh Dhoni have two things in common. Their maiden name starts with ‘M’ & they both have the surname ‘Singh’. Their connection with the media (which also happens to start with M) is quite interesting. Both were not considered as natural leaders at the beginning of their leadership tenures. While Dhoni became an instant hit as captain after winning the T20 championship in 2007, it took Manmohan Singh 5 years to prove his mettle as the effective political leader of India.

When Manmohan Singh was picked up by Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister in 2004, the media called him the wrong choice. The general view point was that Manmohan Singh was reputed & an amazing economist but he lacks the ability to lead a country. Through out his first tenure as PM,he was constantly referred as a ‘weak’ prime minister who was following the directions of 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence). The turn around came in July 2008 when Dr Singh threatened to step down as PM if the nuclear deal bill was not passed. He got full support from Sonia Gandhi and eventually he did manage to achieve the most important goal he had set out in his first tenure as PM. Post the nuclear deal suddenly the media started regarding Dr Singh as a good leader. Congress named Dr Singh as the official prime ministerial candidate for 2009 elections & a direct battle with LK Advani was set (the official PM candidate of the NDA). The media thought he lacked the oratory skills of Advani & would lose a head to head contest. But election 2009 was the turning point for Manmohan Singh’s image. Suddenly he emerged as the darling of the media. In the last few months, many media houses named him as one of the best prime ministers ever!! These are the same media houses which laballed him as the weakest ever just a year back. His opinion amongst the masses saw a dramatic turnaround. Suddenly he was referred as the man who can lead as stronger India in the future. He officially earned the title of ‘Singh is King’.

MS Dhoni had a much easier time becoming the heartthrob of the same media. His 183 against Pakistan brought him under the lime light. But he achieved super stardom by captaining India to a spectacular victory at the T20 championships in 2007. The media declared him as the uncrowned ‘King of India’ after the one day victories in Australia and Sri Lanka and the comprehensive Test victory against Australia. He was proclaimed as the best captain of India by the media in a span of 1 year. But one series changed it all for MSD. The loss at T20 championships in England last month transformed his persona overnight. From ‘Captain Cool’ he became ‘Captain Fool’& ‘Arrogant Dhoni’. Some media channels that use to carry his promotional campaign till a few days back, now wanted him to be dropped as the T20 captain.

These two cases clearly reflect the inconsistent approach of the media. Certain sections of the media have played a very irresponsible role, especially in the case of MSD. Yes, we all are disappointed that India lost and above all played miserably. But that does not mean that they can carry a malicious campaign against a particular individual. One victory cannot discount the 2 years of tremendous leadership that MSD has displayed. Cricket thrives on passion in India and makes a good story for any media house. But when they add more fuel to fire by questioning the ability of an individual based on just 5 matches then it can only be termed as ‘obnoxious journalism’. Similarly the same media had arrived at the conclusion that Manmohan Singh is a weak PM even before he took the oath. One has to give time to a person to prove his calibre. Just because one politician is so unlike his counter parts by not indulging in only lip service but instead believes in doing genuine work with utmost honesty, he cannot be termed ‘weak’. In Dr Singh’s case one thing that has emerged very clear, is that actions speak louder than words.

The media has to be more responsible. It’s a section of the media which creates and twists people’s image day to day based on the event. Like no one series can determine a good captain, similarly certain traits (like ordinary oratory skills) cannot undermine an individual’s potential. Manmohan Singh & MSD both have contributed substantially in their respective fields. Obviously their fields can’t be compared but their commitment & intentions can never be doubted. People & specially the media should be more forth coming and practical. Winning all the time is not possible and cannot be the bottom line all the time. A curious defeat at times is a much bigger victory.