THERE are only seven months to go before Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces voters for a tough third term. Tuesday’s raids on senior journalists in Delhi seem directly linked to the looming polls. It is not a great time for the BJP government, which has been rattled by recent bad press at home and abroad. A robust opposition alliance has become a palpable challenge to Mr Modi’s prospects, and a caste census in Bihar on Monday exposed the vulnerability of upper caste supremacy the BJP uses as its support. The highest numbers for the middle caste farming community has reportedly left the BJP jolted. Being denied good press abroad at such a crucial time, and left only with courtiers in the ‘godi media’, may have set off Tuesday’s events.

Most of the journalists rounded up in the morning blitzkrieg were linked to the NewsClick online portal, which the police claim is funded by a person involved in pro-China propaganda. The truth, however is that the editor, Prabir Purkayastha, has been an acknowledged campaigner for financial probity and human rights, both of which the government has fallen short of. Mr Purkayastha and an associate at NewsClick were sent on police remand. Dozens of other senior journalists, men and women, were questioned. Mr Purkayastha, however, is a seasoned campaigner. He was jailed as a student leader for the entire stretch of the 1975-77 Emergency. Another journalist who has done detailed work on crony capitalism with reference to the Ambani brothers and Adani Group is Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. He told the media how he was interrogated about writing on Covid, and whether he uses the Signal messaging app. Police said the raids were carried out in the context of charges slapped on the news portal in August, which reports say includes anti-terror laws. A worried Mr Modi could be a greater threat to free speech and independent media even by his own lowly standards.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2023