Daijiworld Media Network
New Delhi, May 20: Soon after the seventh phase of polling ended on May 19, NaMo TV which aired programmes promoting Prime Minister Narendara Modi went off air, giving rise to speculations.
The channel appeared in March end, a few days prior to the beginning of the Lok Sabha elections. When the opposition called the channel a 'propaganda machine', the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which was funding the channel called it an ‘advertisement based platform.'
The channel was aired by DTH operators such as Tata Sky, Videocon and Dish TV. The viewers did not have to pay for the channel which showed interviews and rallies of PM Modi. Interviews of BJP leaders, movies and programmes that feature government programmes were other content aired on the channel. Contrary to rules, the channel did not seek permission from the information and broadcasting ministry before airing.
The opposition raised the issue with the Election Commission, which sought clarification from information and broadcast (I&B) ministry. The ministry responded that the channel being an advertisement based platform was distributed by several direct to home operators and did not need permission to air.
The Election Commission then issued a notification in April that all recorded programmes displayed on the NaMo TV need to be pre-certified. It effectively banned the channel from broadcasting any election propaganda so as to enable a level-playing field.
Meanwhile, AICC Congress president Rahul Gandhi had hit out at Election Commission calling it biased. "From Electoral Bonds & EVMs to manipulating the election schedule, NaMo TV, Modi’s Army & now the drama in Kedarnath; the Election Commission’s capitulation before Mr Modi & his gang is obvious to all Indians. The EC used to be feared & respected. Not anymore," he tweeted.
However, people who expected the channel to continue were in for a surprise when it disappeared from their channel list soon after the last phase of the elections. The mysterious appearance and disappearance, the timing the channel came on air, have left people questioning if the channel was actually a propaganda machine and did it make an impact in the Lok Sabha polls. India Today reported that according to sources within the Election Commission, 'the idea of NaMo TV was to garner eyeballs and to highlight the working of the government, which could possibly lead to more votes for the party. Now that the elections are over, recurring cost of running the platform will be futile'.