Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 29 (IANS) The journalist’s microphone has always been a powerful political instrument, but when the Kerala Chief Minister decides to answer questions from its holder, is now set to change in the state under the V.D. Satheesan-led UDF government.
Chief Minister Satheesan now appears set to bring some order to the ritual of journalists chasing him for a reaction.
His office has decided that the Chief Minister will not be expected to answer questions wherever he happens to appear.
If he is meeting the media, the occasion will be announced in advance.
The regular Wednesday post-Cabinet interaction will continue, while other interactions will be announced when necessary.
For television journalists, this could mean the end of an old Kerala tradition: the sudden sprint after the Chief Minister, more seen when the Congress is in power, with microphones held high and cameras following close behind.
The change comes after recent occasions when a battery of journalists surrounded Satheesan seeking his reaction to political controversies.
The police too have become concerned about the security implications of reporters and others getting too close to the Chief Minister.
It also marks an interesting change in Kerala’s political media equation.
The Congress Chief Ministers, particularly A.K. Antony and Oommen Chandy, often faced an aggressive media pack.
With the expansion of television news, the post-event reaction became almost as important as the event itself.
The Left had a rather different tradition.
E.K. Nayanar and V.S. Achuthanandan were never known to surrender the microphone easily.
Pinarayi Vijayan took that tradition to another level during his decade as Chief Minister.
There was rarely any doubt about who was running the press conference. The questions could be sharp, but the format remained his.
His famous ‘Kadakku Purathu’ (get out) directed at reporters in 2017 became part of Kerala’s political folklore.
Ironically, Vijayan’s relationship with the media has changed since he became Leader of the Opposition.
He is now meeting journalists far more frequently and has been taking questions at public interactions and press meets.
Satheesan, meanwhile, is discovering the other side of the microphone.
At last Wednesday’s post-Cabinet briefing, with television cameras rolling and questions flying from different directions, he appealed to the viewers that he could not hear anything because everyone was speaking at the same time.
–IANS
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