The 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' radio program was broadcasted on Sunday.
The 100th episode was listened to by supporters of Modi at homes and in events and was marked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and government bodies with a number of events such as exhibitions and initiatives like running projections on monuments.
While Modi and his supporters have presented the program as a way of communicating with the nation and sharing the leadership's vision with the country, critics have seen the program as just another tool for advertising one's own self. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said Modi is the first Prime Minister of India who talks about his problems instead of listening to people's problems.
Since its beginning in 2014, Modi's Mann ki Baat has had 100 episodes. In these episodes, Modi has spoken on several themes and there have been a number of key developments around these episodes.
Here we explain what's Mann ki Baat and how it began and share some key moments over the years.
What is PM Modi's Mann ki Baat?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann ki Baat is a radio program that began in 2014. It is broadcasted by state-run All India Radio (AIR).
The first episode of Mann ki Baat was broadcasted on October 3, 2014. Modi assumed office in May 2014.
One notable feature of Mann ki Baat over the years has been that the program has been apolitical. While Modi has talked about government schemes and has made announcements at times, there has been little to no overt politics. He has also been noted for mentioning grassroots workers and activists in his programs.
An apolitical soft-power tool
PM Modi has also used the program as a tool for extending the soft power of India, particularly in the domains of culture, development with the Global South in mind, and connecting with the Indian diaspora and people with Indian heritage across the world. In the episode on November 27, 2022, Modi spoke of the popularity of the Ramcharitmanas tradition in Fiji and Ram-Krishna renditions in Guyana.
Modi said, "In Phagwa of Guyana there is a special tradition of singing wedding songs associated with Bhagwan Rama and Bhagwan Krishna. These songs are called Chautal. They are sung on a similar type of tune and at a high pitch as we do here. Not only this but Chautal Competitions are also held in Guyana. Similarly, many Indians, especially people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, had gone to Fiji too. They used to sing traditional bhajan-kirtans, mainly couplets from the Ramcharitmanas. They also formed many Mandalis associated with bhajan-kirtan in Fiji. Even today there are more than two thousand Bhajan-Kirtan Mandalis in Fiji by the name of Ramayana Mandali. Today they can be seen in every village and locality."
In 2018, Ruhi Tewari also noted that Modi had also kept the program strictly apolitical.
"Mann Ki Baat has been kept strictly apolitical, at least overtly. The PM’s political messages have, of course, been implicit. He has used the platform several times to convey his government’s stand on important issues. The PM has never mentioned his party, the BJP, on air," noted Tewari in an article for The Print.
Highlights of Mann ki Baat over the years
Since the first episode in 2014, PM Modi has used Mann ki Baat to raise several issues such as cleanliness mission, indigenous products, initiatives like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao, yoga, sports, and armed forces, etc. All of these subjects tie in with the broader subject areas that the Modi government has focussed on over the years.
The first major highlight was in the first episode itself where Modi mentioned the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan on October 3, 2014.
"Yesterday, on 2 October, on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, more than 125 crore countrymen started the Swachh Bharat movement. I had shared one thought yesterday which is that I will nominate nine people and they need to upload their videos of cleaning the nation on social media websites, and nominating nine more people to do the same. I want you all to join me, clean the nation, and nominate nine more people to clean the nation, and those nine people must do the same," said Modi in the first episode.
Such engagement has been a running theme in Mann ki Baat. While critics have said it to be a one-way communication, there are channels like My Gov website and Modi's personal app and letters to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) through which people can share ideas and their personal efforts on a range of subjects with Modi.
Modi's broadcasts have also come under the scanner over electoral issues.
The Congress party had approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) in October 2014 saying that the first episode violated the election rules. However, Modi was cleared by the ECI at the time.
In 2015, a major highlight was the co-hosting of the episode with visiting US President Barack Obama.
"The January 2015 edition, for instance, marked a high in Mann Ki Baat, which Modi co-anchored with visiting US President Barack Obama. This wasn’t just about getting the then-US President on air, it was also Modi’s message on diplomacy, to showcase his equation with Obama and the Indo-US bonhomie," noted The Print in an article.
In April 2015, Modi's episode was about natural disasters in the context of the devastating Nepal earthquake that had caused widespread destruction in the country. Over the years, India has constantly been the major disaster responder in the area. From Indonesia Tsunami to the Turkey-Syria earthquake, India has consistently played a leading and meaningful role in disaster response and management in the region.
Later, Modi also spoke on demonetisation, Goods and Services Tax (GST), armed forces, and Kashmir in multiple episodes over the years.
"Mann Ki Baat has sometimes been fun and games, sometimes sombre, often policy-oriented, frequently motivational and philosophical, and never overtly political...And yet, underneath all of this, PM Modi has craftily used the radio show to broadcast his political messages and convey his government’s position through his choice of words and issues, as well as the personalities he has mentioned," noted Tewari in the piece earlier cited.
Modi has also highlighted the regional diversity of India in his various episodes, noted India Today.
It said, "The PM has spoken about many unique things in our country, like Tripura's jackfruit (In 77th edition on May 30, 2021) and terracotta cups (In 94th edition on October 30, 2022)."
Criticism of Mann ki Baat
While the Modi government and BJP supporters celebrated the 100th episode of Mann ki Baat, the show has garnered criticism as well.
As the 100th episode comes at a time when top Indian wrestlers are protesting over alleged sexual harassment at the hands of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the programme has also been criticised for its silence over issues of women. Earlier too, the BJP and its leadership has been criticised for silence and inaction over crimes against women, such as the alleged gang rape and death of woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.
The Mann ki Baat has also been criticised for being a one-way system of communication, with just Modi addressing the public. While supporters say that the prime minister uses the medium to communicate his vision to the public, critics say it's yet another medium to avoid a two-way communication. In almost nine years in office, Modi has not conducted a single press conference and his public interactions are believed to be tightly regulated to ensure that nothing unfavourable comes up.
In the run-up to the episode, protests also broke out in Assam over the projection of religious symbol on Rang Ghar, 18th–century Ahom-era monument in Assam.
The Wire reported, "Hundreds of locals from the northeastern state’s Sivasagar district, in which Rang Ghar is located, took to the streets, raising slogans against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its government. The trigger for the public protest was a laser show that flashed religious symbols on the façade of the edifice by a government-appointed private player roped in for the public outreach event."
As part of marking the 100th episode of Mann ki Baat, projections were played on a number of monuments across India.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Nana Patole said that while Modi's addresses the nation in the 100th episode, he remains silent on some of the most pressing issues.
"The people of the country are running away from inflation and the economy has reached an abyss. China's anti-India activities on the border have increased but Modi does not dare to even mention China. Mr Modi's friends fled the country with crores of rupees from common people's banks but are keeping quiet about it. Karnataka has a 40 percent commission government. There is an auction for the post of Chief Minister, but Modi is silent like 'Mouni Baba'," News agency UNI quoted Patole as saying.
