Once upon a time, a politician avoiding tough questions was rare. But times have changed. Why face the pesky journalist armed with facts and follow-ups when you can have a podcaster nod and giggle like their salary depends on it? 

Exit sweating in the newsroom. And enter the age of the pliant podcast, where mantriji gets to wax poetic about everything except governance and accountability. All mantriji has to do is lounge on a plush chair, microphone in hand, recounting college days, spirituality or love for chai. And answer questions that are Pulitzer-worthy:

Why does everyone love you?

What’s your political mantra?

The role of sixth sense in geopolitics?

Do you drink?

Do you watch The Kapil Sharma Show?

Mantriji beams. Governance, after all, is overrated. Let’s focus on his favorite type of biryani instead. That is one of the reasons why influencers are getting a stamp of legitimacy in the market as well as Indian politics.

Just like a politician schmoozes their vote bank, influencers are also wooed. Last year, minister Piyush Goyal cosied up with several such influencers. (Not the first time, though.) Before this, 18 such interactive sessions were held. The erstwhile Ashok Gehlot government went a step further and announced advertisements for social media influencers. The irrepressible Yogi Adityanath government was not far behind. This year, it promised that an influencer can earn up to Rs 8 lakh a month. If that does not melt the influencers’ hearts, bring the big boss – Prime Minister Narendra Modi can throw in a few awards for content creators. 

The year will also go down in history as the year mantrijis discovered their love for a certain breed of podcaster. Union ministers like Nitin Gadkari and S Jaishankar are practically podcast regulars now, hopping from one show to another.

Ranveer Allahbadia, whose The Ranveer Show podcast (earlier known as Beer Biceps) is one of India’s most-streamed, admitted that political interviews are heavily scrutinised. In a rare moment of self-awareness, he described himself as a noob as far as his first phase of political interviews were concerned. Like a good mentor, ANI’s face Smita Prakash reassured him. “Everyone wants you to put that politician on the mat. It’s not your job as a podcaster.” 

Of course not. That’s journalism, a dying art that this breed of podcasters has no intention of reviving.

Even the opposition has learnt how to sidestep the traditional media. Rahul Gandhi avoided the media and engaged with influencers before the general elections. Samjawadi Party’s chief Akhilesh Yadav had to answer complex questions on the family soap opera. In another podcast, the thumbnail went about the town indicating a chat with the “most interesting politician ever”. RJD’s Tej Pratap Yadav, the Chill Guy of Indian politics, lounged in his lawn and dropped secrets of his social media game. Congress’s Rajya Sabha leader Rajeev Shukla also found a perfect way to kill time: a “random chit-chat”. 

The fan base of such podcasters is growing and living for it. A few gems for journalism 2.0:

“After listening to this podcast, I don’t have any scruples about his [the host’s] journalism.”

“Outstanding job! I've completely moved away from traditional news, and your channel has become my go-to for insightful, unbiased conversations.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too agreed to many interviews with his fangirls or fanboys – with a lot of strings attached. One of them was that Modi interviews would be edited and produced by the Prime Minister’s Office, as journalist Rajdeep Sardesai writes in his new book 2024: The Election That Surprised India. Watch him tell Newslaundry about it here.

The personal vs the political

Unlike the journalist – who rudely interrupts a politician mid-spin to ask for proof – these podcasters follow the golden rule: Let mantriji talk. They nod and gasp at every mundane anecdote. If the facts sound fishy? No worries, the listeners can Google it. Take a recent podcast gem:

Podcaster: “Mantriji, tell us about your college days.”

Mantriji: “In fact, I slapped my vice-chancellor.”

Cue gasps, laughter, and applause. Somewhere, a journalist is choking on his coffee.

Back in the day, politicians had no choice but to sit through hard-hitting interviews on national television. Sure, they could dodge a question or two, but not without squirming. On the other hand, their favoured podcasters are like warm, comforting chai on a rainy day. They’ll let mantriji talk for hours about his pet cow, his favorite motivational quotes, or how he only sleeps four hours a night (because public seva never sleeps). 

The power dynamics? Oh, they’re delightfully one-sided. These podcasters clutch their mics like lifelines, too awestruck to ask anything challenging. After all, who wants to risk offending mantriji and losing those sweet, sweet clicks?

Podcasts also give politicians the perfect platform to humanise themselves. Want to dodge a question about election strategy? Talk about your grandchildren instead. Got caught in a scandal? Spin a heartwarming tale about your struggle to afford a bike.

The audience sighs in admiration. What a hero! Ignore the crumbling roads and inflation – it’s the thought that counts.

Global trends

If you thought 2014 and 2019 were social media revolutions, wait for 2029. 

Inspired by America’s “podcast election”, Indian politicians are gearing up for a full-fledged audio takeover. In the US, Donald Trump had a three-hour love fest on The Joe Rogan Experience, while Kamala Harris charmed voters on Call Her Daddy. This came at the expense of traditional media giants such as the Washington Post and The New York Times. Trump appeared in 20 podcasts and Harris on eight.

Imagine what lies ahead for India. For the youth vote, mantriji could hop on a gaming podcast and reminisce about his Mario addiction. For the homemakers, he could gush about his favorite chole bhature. 

Sure, traditional media is almost broken. Yes, some journalists shout more than they question. But even the most pliant ones dared to occasionally poke the bear. From Rahul Kanwal asking finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman about allegations of donations to BJP by companies raided by central agencies, to Smita Prakash questioning home minister Amit Shah on the situation in Manipur.

But these podcasters? They’re too busy rolling out the red carpet to bother with accountability.

As Rajdeep Sardesai lamented in a Newslaundry interview, “The classical, no-holds-barred political interview is becoming an endangered species.” 

Indeed. We’re witnessing the evolution of political interviews – from hard-hitting to soft-soaping. Who needs boring debates when you can have chats with vibes?

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