There are many who listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unique communication platform, “Maan Ki Baat,” where he addresses all Indians as his brethren. In fact, the rural masses listen most attentively because they want to know what the PM thinks and what his latest schemes are that could empower them and lift them out of the morass they live in. To that extent Maan Ki Baat though critiqued by Modi detractors as a misuse of the public information and broadcasting space by the Government, is an excellent way to connect with the Indians masses across the nooks and crannies of this country. And Modi who is a communications expert knows this very well. On January 31, the PM addressed the nation and spoke of the South Asian Games which are scheduled to be held in Assam and Meghalaya. Modi did not mention Meghalaya at all but mentioned only Assam and said the Games would boost ties with SAARC countries. While Assam will host the opening and closing ceremonies with 16 sporting disciplines across 11 venues, Meghalaya is hosting 8 sports disciplines across 5 venues. Is the Prime Minister not informed about this? Obviously Modi depends on someone in the I &B Ministry to craft out his script. Who is this script writer? Surely the Prime Minister cannot be caught making such serious gaffes. And these are very emotional issues for the people of this region, more so since the Chief Minister of Meghalaya held his ground about hosting the Badminton events here.
Now this is Modi’s second faux pas. On January 4, when an earthquake of severe intensity with its epicenter at Tamenglong district in Manipur jolted the region, Modi called up the Assam Chief Minister instead. It was Manipur that suffered major damage of buildings and where lives were also lost. How could the Prime Minister be so ignorant of what happens in the seven states of the North East? Isn’t he better informed than this? Isn’t that why Kiren Rijiju was appointed Minister of State for Home to help the PM unravel this region of several contentious issues? Or is the PM courting the people of Assam more fervently now because the state is headed for the polls? The MPs representing the North Eastern states must bring this to the PM’s notice. We should not tolerate indifference and ignorance from the Prime Minister of the country!
