Rama Krishna Sangem’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 100th episode of his monthly radio talk show , “Mann Ki Baat” on April 30, Sunday and said this programme connected him with the common man in India. BJP headed Central government has made elaborate arrange arrangements to air this programme, which was also screened on TV channels and digital platforms across the world.
Public broadcaster All India Radio made additional arrangements to cover it to more areas. Many gatherings were held to listen to this programme. Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and several BJP ministers, MPs CMs and Governors joined the public to celebrate this 100th episode. Many research institutions analysed the content and topics covered in Mann Ki Baat’s past 99 episodes.
The United Nations made special arrangements for this audio cum video programme, while several ministers and other diplomats spanned across the globe to make it an international event. Modi, in his chaste Hindi spoke for about 30 minutes from 11 to 11.30 am, like always and attributed the popularity of this programmee to people of the country. “This became a people’s movement and a spiritual journey for me over the years,” he said.
Modi started Mann Ki Baat in October 2014 and continued it for 9 years and covered a range of topics, right from gender justice to education, healthcare and self-reliance. In his 100th episode, he spoke of Vocal for Local, an aspect of his pet slogan, Atmanirbhara Bharat. As Foreign Minister S Jaishankar told a gathering in New Jersey in the US on Sunday early hours, that Mann Ki Baat has become part of national conscience.
Political connotations
On Sunday, Modi was in Karnataka addressing a rally of BJP in Kolar district where Congress and JD(S) are strong. He almost used the message of Mann Ki Baat, though it is not political in nature that it is the time for India to march towards Amrit Kaal, meaning the centenary of Independence, in 2047. Of various topics mentioned in Man Ki Baat are going to establish him as a statesman, above narrow politics.
PM Modi will continue Mann Ki Baat till general elections to Parliament next summer. He promised to come up with more topics next month-end, last Sunday of May. April 30’s episode proved that there is people’s participation to the talk show, which the opposition parties dubbed as one-way communication. Adulatory messages from top personalities like Bill Gates lauded Modi for continuing this talk show, even amidst pressing engagements as PM of India.
