Fascism needs a controlled media: Modi's favourite Adani acquires majority stake in news agency IANS
Business
He has previously acquired almost a 65pc stake in NDTV
AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI (Web Desk) – Call them fascists or ultra-right or ultranationalists, one thing is common among them – control the narrative, control the minds: a strategy helps at different levels – from silencing the critics to manufacturing imaginary enemies so that they can produce a subservient population.
History is a witness to this phenomenon in the past with Mussolini, Hitler, Franco and Salazar exercising these tactics to a great effect, albeit they and their dictatorships couldn’t last long. The destruction and the people’s sufferings can’t be forgotten.
But the media industry has expanded so much with the arrival of latest technology that the admirers of these 20th century now have more tools at their disposal, enabling to the reach the target audience 24/7.
Read more: With elections approaching, deepfake is already employed in Pakistan too
Be it Pakistan or any other country, the forces representing fascism always employ this process as their top priority. In fact, their survival depends upon solely on controlling the mainstream and social media. Surely, we can’t forget those behind the May 9 episode.
However, Narendra Modi enjoys much larger financial resources thanks to the billionaires supporting him as India have been developing an economy that is expected to reach the top three ranking in the coming decades while making them richer at an unprecedented.
Media houses are already openly supporting the Hindu nationalist government, but isn’t enough. They must be directly owned by the people who are on the right and left of Modi. Gautam Adani is one of them.
Reuters in a report says Adani Enterprises – Adani's flagship firm – announced on Saturday that it had acquired a majority stake in news agency Indo-Asian News Service or IANS as the conglomerate tries to consolidate its media presence.
Read more: Indian opposition parties protest against Adani's Mumbai slum overhaul plan
The Adani group said in a statement that upon acquiring a 50.5 per cent stake for 510,000 rupees ($6,140), it would assume full operational and management control of IANS.
The news agency reported a revenue of over 118.6 million rupees in the 2022/23 financial year.
Adani entered the media industry in March last year by acquiring Quintillion Business Media, which operates business and financial news digital media platform BQ Prime. Later in December 2022, it acquired almost a 65pc stake in the broadcaster NDTV.
Press freedom is shrinking with each passing day in India under Modi and such moves will only further empower his party to promote its extremist ideology – a frightening scenario for the Muslims and other minorities as well as the liberal, progressive and secular forces.
