Jagan Opts Negative Campaign for Political Space

The elections to Andhra Pradesh concluded in June 2024 witnessed no political party getting official opposition party status in the AP Legislative Assembly. However, outside the Assembly, the erstwhile ruling-YSRCP has assumed the role of opposition party, in spite of garnering 11 seats.

While analysts have explained the fall of YSRCP from 151 to only 11 seats as rejection by the voters, the YSRCP supremo YS Jaganmohan Reddy, however, is fighting hard to regain the lost political space. The victorious NDA alliance consisting of TDP-JSP-BJP has formed the Government on 12th June 2024 and even before the Government was formed YS Jaganmohan Reddy started claiming vendetta politics and cited examples several incidents of violence against his partymen by the ruling coalition. Jagan even met the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and sat on one-day dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in order to attract national attention.

In spite of several requests from the AP Government on details of 30 YSRCP cadre killed due to political violence, there was no response from Jagan. Jagan’s strategy has been to make headlines by making a sensation statement against the Government and create ripples and panic among the people through his media – Sakshi channel and Sakshi newspaper. While Jagan is thriving on adverse and negative statements to communicate to the people, the ruling alliance, in comparison in relying on informative policies based on facts and figures.

As a result one can notice lack of substance in Jaganmohan Reddy’s statements which consistently contain negative, sensational mudslinging statements. Jaganmohan Reddy is effectively ensuring that the voter will not be able to make informed decisions and would rather make decisions based on emotions. However, a large section of the society would stay away from a highly negative and uncivilized politics unleashed by Jagan Reddy.

Interestingly, Jaganmohan Reddy had been consistently banking on negative and sensational statements ever since he established YSRCP. In a way it is that campaign against the then ruling-TDP coupled with failure on the part of TDP to counter that campaign has secured him a tremendous victory with 151 seats in the 2019 elections. Once a negative campaign is unleashed and planted in the minds of the people, it is very hard to dilute it. Thus, Jaganmohan Reddy doesn’t appeal to reason or facts, rather banks on sensational and irresponsible statements. Often Jaganmohan Reddy’s statements contain false content, but generally sensational, negative and disruptive in nature. Adding support to Jagan is his biased social media which highlights irresponsible statements and they reach the public at a high speed.

Once social media takes up those negative statements, from then on people debate over Jaganmohan sensational statements and even media channels hold prime time debates too. World -over, opposition to Government is a fundamental and it is a natural process of democracy. People adopt different tactics like demonstrations, general strike, riot, terrorism, civil disobedience and even revolution to achieve their goals. But in the case of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Reddy resorts to conspiracy theories that are negative, sensational and have ripple effect.

Only he can perceive conspiracy theory behind every task of the Government. While conspiracy theories are just one tool of disruption, they are typically the most readily available and lowest-cost method available for gaining political space. General view point is that why would people believe such conspiracy theories that are negative and sensational in nature?. In reality people do not believe such negative and sensational statements. Instead, people like the sensational aspect of such statements and engage with such negative statements out of panic. As a result the more they engage with such statements they get absorbed in to such statements and tend to believe those statements at subconscious level. For instance, take the case of media channels continuously holding prime time debates on Jaganmohan Reddy’s statements.

That in a way gives the political space that YS Jaganmohan Reddy has been yearning for and consequently, he stands to win by making irresponsible, negative and sensational statements. The only way out for the TDP-led NDA Government is to continuously and consistently keep airing the facts and ensure that people make informed decisions rather than carrying out regular Government propaganda. In order to ensure that the statements of Jaganmohan Reddy are countered appropriately, NDA alliance in Andhra Pradesh need lead the war against lies at various levels. First, a comprehensive watch should be developed with regard to all social media platforms and ensure that any illegal content or lies is removed and the same should be countered befittingly through NDA social media platforms. Second level is the mainstream media consisting of electronic channels, printed newspapers and digital news.

A continuous monitoring of these spaces is required with timely and effective counters in place. Third level is at the mass level, wherein the word by mouth is crucial. It is important to ensure that the YSRCP Goebbels propaganda is countered on the street or in a bus or at the tea shop effectively by the TDP-led NDA alliance. In addition the above levels, the Government needs to ensure that panic is averted by communicating to the public appropriate facts and making them feel secure is equally important. Only then, the strategy adopted by YS Jaganmohan Reddy will be rebuffed.

Also Read: https://thecapital.org.in/new-entrance-gate-inauguration-at-gannavaram/