Alternative facts in post-truth world

Saba Naqvi

There is a price to be paid when the people who take most things seriously stop taking anything that you say too seriously. Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the Hindi word akalpaniya when he did that round with US President Donald Trump in Houston. Akalpaniya means unimaginable. That’s quite an apt term for some of the spectacles we have seen from ‘Howdy, Modi!’ in Houston and Modi’s appearance at Sabarmati Ashram, where  he declared India open defecation free, a little over a week after two Dalit children were beaten to death for defecating in the open in Madhya Pradesh.

We know it’s a post-truth world where factual rebuttals are ignored. It is equally true that the practitioners of the craft of post-truth are skillful creators of what is called ‘alternative facts’ — when you make up stuff because the real facts don’t suit you. That sort of stuff has worked wonderfully in this age for some elected leaders, but there is a price to be paid for not answering hard questions and only performing for cheering crowds. 

Consider quickly what happened after ‘Howdy, Modi!’. Our elected leader endorsed a controversial elected leader, who is in the midst of his presidential rerun. Would the Indian media not have choked with outrage had a visiting world leader made statements suggesting a domestic preference? And for all the glitz and handholding, was Trump grateful? Not enough to give India a trade deal we had been hoping for. Instead, he again offered to mediate in Kashmir, which always irritates us; he spent some time with Pakistan PM Imran Khan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meet. It was business as usual: one day India, the next day Pakistan. But Trump did call Modi the “father” of India. Quite cool, say the bhakts. Personally, I have no issue with a foreign head of state saying anything wonderful and over-the-top about our PM. 

Here, it must be noted that Imran Khan gave an interview to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, in which he said he feared a massacre in Kashmir. From his point of view, the Pakistani leader made his point to the world media where we continue to be attacked on the Kashmir issue. Amanpour has travelled the globe interviewing world leaders, and even some reclusive leaders speak to her. CNN made it a point to state that they have asked for an interview with the Indian Prime Minister as well, and are waiting for a response. 

Our PM loves to talk, give speeches and jam in crowded stadiums like a rockstar. But he gives interviews only to a small, pliant troupe. So our PM will give interviews to select Indian journalists, but will not speak to Amanpour, who cannot be handed a script and be expected to not ask hard questions. An open press conference at home would be in the realm of unimaginable now. 

It’s clear that it’s the ratings of the show that the PM and the BJP use to determine the success of the journeys. Certainly the BJP was delighted with ‘Howdy’. So when the PM went to Ahmedabad on October 2 and addressed the BJP workers, the backdrop had a giant picture of Modi and Trump, hand in hand. (Never mind that it was Gandhi Jayanti).  That day our PM had penned a piece for The New York Times (the sort of paper that best friend Trump calls fake media), titled, Why India and The World Need Gandhi. One “father” of the nation felt a compelling need to associate with the figure that got the title first. The 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi was, in the end, an all-out Modi show. He went to Sabarmati Ashram that night and, just before the 9 pm prime time TV shows, delivered a speech where he basically said the country was open defecation free as every family had access to a toilet and in doing this he had fulfilled Gandhi’s dreams. Really? Both the claims do not pass a simple fact check. 

It’s a fact that the government has initiated a move to take over all Gandhi ashrams, trusts and land. The Gandhians are shocked. It may also be remembered that much before he became the PM, Modi, as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had created a swanky facility for events, meetings and jamborees such as Vibrant Gujarat investors’ meet in Mahatma Mandir. The government says it wants to take over Sabarmati Ashram in order to build a “world class” memorial to Gandhi. Mahatma Mandir is now run by a hospitality chain that also runs luxury hotels. What can one say except, ‘Howdy, Gandhi!’