Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
New Delhi, Apr 5: This election season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming into your lives in mega doses not just through news channels broadcasting his election campaigns, but also through the controversy-ridden biopic starring Vivek Oberoi, a special Eros Now web series, and now - NaMo TV. Indeed, the BJP seems to be firing all guns, using every means, overt and covert, to make this election all about only one name - Modi. And NaMo TV is dedicated to achieve this, as some may say, 'by hook or by crook'.
Launched quietly without any fanfare on March 31 just days before the first phase of the elections, NaMo TV, also called 'Content TV', carries the image of Prime Minister Modi as its logo, and is available on various DTH and cable TV platforms. PM Modi himself announced the launch of the channel on his personal Twitter account. NaMo TV broadcasts BJP election rallies, speeches of Narendra Modi and interviews of BJP leaders.
According to a report by Business Today, "the channel is reportedly owned by Parag Shah, an IT professional and senior political analyst who worked under Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat." Other reports however say the channel's originators are unknown as the channel does not have a licence and has not even applied for one.
When it first came to public notice, Tata Sky called it a 'Hindi news service', only to retract later. In response to a tweet by one of its subscribers, Tata Sky had tweeted: "Channel no 512 is NAMO TV, it is a Hindi news service which provides the latest breaking news on national politics." In another tweet, the DTH service provider said the channel has been made available to all subscribers and cannot be deleted.
However, with debate raging over whether the channel breaches the model code of conduct, and Congress and Aam Aadmi Party approaching the Election Commission, Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal made a u-turn saying the earlier tweet was a 'mistake' and the channel is not a news service at all.
"NaMo TV is not a Hindi News service. If someone in the frontline at Tata Sky has tweeted or said that it is a news service, it is a mistake," he told a TV channel.
He also said that NaMo TV 'does not fall into any genre' and that the feed is 'coming from the BJP via the internet'. He further said that it does not require a licence from the information and broadcasting ministry as it is a 'special service'. However, the information and broadcasting ministry's website clearly states that DTH provides are allowed to carry only registered channels. DTH platforms are also allowed to offer their own value-added services for which no licence is required, for instance, an operator may provide music or movies on demand. It is in this category that NaMo TV falls, according to Business Today report. However, that does not explain how the channel has become available on multiple DTH platforms and even to some cable TV operators.
The Election Commission (EC), on the complaint filed by the Congress and the AAP, served a notice seeking a report from the I&B ministry. Interestingly, the ministry has said that the channel is an 'advertising platform' which does not require prior permission, and that the DTH operators running the channel are being paid by the BJP.
In fact, former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has pointed out that prima facie, there is no poll code violation in the case of NaMo TV as many other politicians too own channels. However, he expressed reservations about the PM's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' event being broadcast on Doordarshan.
The question to be asked here would be, if indeed it is paid for by the BJP and the timing of the launch was to coincide with the elections, would the EC, were it to allow the channel to continue, consider it part of the BJP's election expenditure from the party fund? And would advertisers on the channel be considered as contributors to that fund?
The Congress and other opposition parties have blamed the EC for turning a blind eye to what they have claimed to be violations of the model code of conduct by the BJP. The EC found no poll code violation in the release of the biopic on PM Modi starring Vivek Oberoi. The release has been postponed from the initial date of April 5 to April 11, which is also the beginning of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections. Actor Paresh Rawal is meanwhile starring in another Modi biopic, and Eros Now is releasing a web series entitled 'Modi: Journey Of A Common Man' this election month.
While the Congress accused Modi of 'trampling upon democratic norms by brazenly and blatantly running 'NaMo TV', RJD MP Manoj Jha, quoted in a report by India Today, said, "The EC is the custodian of free and fair elections. According to them, PM Modi's biopic does not violate the model code of conduct. No matter what the result of the election, history will remember this as the weakest Election Commission."
Interestingly, as per a report by The Quint, a domain name 'namotv.com' has come up for sale, with paragshah@gmail.com being the contact address. It seems to be the same person who is assumed to be the owner of the channel. According to the report, the domain name was first registered in October 2012 when Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, and updated in September 2018, and will remain valid till October 2025. In fact, as per reports, NaMo TV was part of a tie up between the then Modi-led Gujarat government and five local channels, but it was shut down the very next day and the EC imposed certain restrictions on it. However, it is uncertain whether it is the same NaMo TV that has surfaced now as there is still no clear indiction of the owner in the absence of registration. The only thing certain about the channel is that it exists solely for BJP's electioneering.