Arrogance, thy name is Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: On an issue as important and complex as ‘one nation, one election’, I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw displayed utmost arrogance when asked by a reporter to explain the practicality of the idea of holding simultaneous polls.

Vaishnaw, whose ministry is responsible for communications around the government’s actions, told the reporter to read the report available online.

It is beyond anyone’s understanding why he could not answer that question for the common man of the country, as his press conference could have reached all nooks and corners of the country if he had explained well.

The incident raised several questions about the communication policy of the government.

What is the harm in repeating what is there in the document?

Are press conferences only for reporters? Do the video clips from the press meet not reach the masses via TV or digital?

How can an I&B minister behave in such a manner?

Why not upload all the communication and save the money spent on press events?

Would a common man prefer to read the report online to find his answers?

In the meantime, would he not trust the narrative peddled by the opposition because you did not bother to convince him?

Haven’t we seen this happening in the context of the Farm Laws, CAA-NRC, and Draft Broadcast Bill where the government was on the backfoot because it couldn’t communicate well?

In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conceded that his government could not make the farmers understand well about the Farm Bills.

The only reason people find is his arrogance, which is blamed for the BJP’s less-than-adequate performance.

On the other hand, the opposition was blamed for hammering their narrative irrespective of denial or clarification and they succeeded up to a great extent.

For example, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi continues with his narratives from the pre-election period without worrying about the government denying on several counts. He does not care and he knows people will believe if said again and again.

Vaishnaw is a former bureaucrat and needs no lesson on most of the subjects from anyone but he certainly needs to shed his arrogance and focus on hammering with consistent messaging.