Rahul Gandhi's event gets low media coverage

New Delhi: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s first address as president of the party to the Indian diaspora in Bahrain failed to make it in the mainstream television media. Mr Gandhi was addressing the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin in the Gulf Hotel in Bahrain. The Gandhi scion was on a one-day visit to the Middle Eastern country where he met senior ministers, captains of the industry and the Indian diaspora.

Interestingly, no national channel, barring a few of them, broadcast live his address to the Indian diaspora. On the other hand, the speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are prominently visible. Mr Gandhi started speaking at a little after 9 pm that constitutes the prime time in the Indian television news industry. He spoke for about 18 minutes, followed by a 30 minute question and answer session. Surprisingly, it was a pre-planned programme, information of which was given to the media via the communications department of the Congress. Even then the event did not find prominence in the leading news channels. Almost all of the news channels were playing their pre-planned prime time news programmes in which the Congress president’s event did not figure.

The event was live on the facebook account of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.