Remaking of ‘NaMo app’ as a trusted news source a Modi govt strategy to own the narrative and set 2024 campaign agenda

Narendra Modi’s victory speech on Sunday evening, delivered after BJP’s stunning victory in the Hindi heartland where the party swept away Congress governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and retained its grip on Madhya Pradesh, had a small segment whose significance might be easily missed by those not paying attention. It pertains to the all-important general elections next year when the prime minister will seek people’s mandate for another five-year term. At this stage, only the bravest punter would take a position against it. But Modi isn’t a man to take chances. During his speech before BJP workers at the party headquarters in New Delhi, attended by a large cable TV and social media audience, Modi called BJP’s wins in the three states, which by some accounts could serve as a bellwether for the Lok Sabha elections, “a victory for developed India.” Exhorting Indian youths to sign on to the ‘NaMo app’ in large numbers, the prime minister said, “Indians seek stability and consistency. They expect to the development process speeded up, and India become a developed nation (Viksit Bharat).” The phrase Viksit Bharat would recur a number of times in the speech. Modi urged the youth to take ownership and lead the movement and called upon BJP workers to get on the NaMo App, “encouraging at least 10 individuals each to assume the responsibility of a Viksit Bharat Ambassador” to build a generation who dream about developed India.” At one level, this is a message of unadulterated positivity in a toxic political environment. What could be more inspiring to enthuse the young generation to take ownership of India’s rise? This strategy of answering Opposition’s cynical political stratagem of caste politics or segregation of India along ‘north’ and ‘south’ with a message of hope and optimism sets Modi apart from the rest. But there is a deeper motive at play. On Thursday, “NaMo App” remained among top trends in India on X (formerly Twitter). In studying the trend, I came across several Union ministers sharing a screenshot that urged the youth to “take part in the ‘Viksit Bharat Ambassador Jan Andolan (mass movement)” by participating in the ‘100-day challenge’. That’s a module introduced in the NaMo app that aims to amplifying India’s development narrative. According to an article published in narendramodi.in website, “top 5 ‘Viksit Bharat Ambassadors’ will receive appropriate rewards on a weekly and monthly basis, designed to keep them motivated in actively promoting and sharing success stories related to the initiatives undertaken to achieve the vision.” Interestingly, the PMO India website on Thursday was seen amplifying on X several news articles through the NaMo app that focused on positive developments, be it in the field of foreign policy — where the Firstpost interview by Palki Sharma of visiting Kenyan president William Ruto was featured, or the news about India’s two-wheeler sales recording highest-ever growth reflecting a robust rural economic outlook, or the CII forecast of Indian economy clocking a GDP growth of 6.8 per cent in the current fiscal and accelerating to over 7 per cent in 2024-25 driven by government’s infrastructure spending. The intent is clear. There is a very conscious, recent push by the BJP to make the NaMo app the go-to platform for driving positive change, trigger a mass movement as well as disseminate factual, positive news about India and its economic progress. The coordinated attempt by the party and different wings of the Central government indicate that this policy would get a vigorous, consistent and increasingly intense push as India rolls into the Lok Sabha election year. If dissemination of news about India’s progress and making NaMo app a verified, trusted source of information is the policy, what is driving such a policy? The answer may lie in how news is consumed by the young generation that has moved away from print and even cable medium to digital and social media platforms. Here, the government is seemingly wary of leaving the space empty for transnational actors to take over and dominate the discourse. We have already seen how both the Congress and the BJP are growing adept at using social media ‘influencers’ to drive the political narrative. While this is happening at many levels, the BJP feels that the educated urban youth, many of whom would be first time voters in 2024, can perform the role of ‘swing voters’ who may make the difference in a tight race. The outlook of this segment is global, and they are malleable to global narratives. For instance, it matters to the youth whether India holds its own despite pressure from the West on Ukraine or takes on the Khalistani menace on foreign soil. This is also where India’s domestic political discourse is heavily influenced by the western media narratives. Sample this article published on 13 September in The Economist newspaper, which accuses the prime minister of widening India’s “north-south” divide. The ridiculousness of this charge is evident from the fact that it is the Congress party and its ecosystem that is actively engaged in driving this divisive narrative, with party functionaries, leaders and lackeys and even its allies casting aspersions and slurs such as “gaumutra (cow piss) states to describe the northern part of India where BJP enjoys absolute dominance. Ruth Pollard, an opinion columnist for Bloomberg, in her analysis of BJP’s victory in the three states in the Assembly elections, paints a pantomime image of a bloodthirsty Hindu nationalist government out to scare the living daylights of India’s Muslim population, going against data, facts and reality. Edward Luce in London’s Financial Times newspaper compared Modi with Yahya Khan, the Pakistani general who led armed forces to launch ‘Operation Searchlight’ in 1971, a brutal campaign of genocide, torture and mass rape of Hindu Bengalis in Bangladesh, then known as East Pakistan. Closer home, aided by China-based American millionaire Neville Roy Singham, Chinese-funded news websites are sowing division, fake news and hatred in India, along with Chinese propaganda among impressionable youth. In October this year, the Delhi Police registered a case against ‘Newsclick’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) amid allegations of funding from China and searched the homes of several journalists associated with the news portal. In this noxious information space, where sifting the real from fake is well nigh impossible, it is clear that the Modi government has embarked on a proactive move to own the domestic narratives, push back against manipulative big tech, Chinese propaganda machinery and drive positive campaigns. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.