We have been writing about this for some time but New Zealand mainstream media’s bias against India continues unbated. New Zealand’s new government is making an all-out effort to improve the bilateral relations and country’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is currently visiting India, first time after taking over his role in November 2023. The New Zealand mainstream media (without naming any) is not only keeping a low profile of Peters current visit but also under reporting the all-important visit. This pig-headed attitude of NZ media is only helping to further widen the pre-existed distrust, gaps, and lack of confidence between the two countries.
There is no real ground for this bias except for a misconstrued sense of superiority within a section of media and certainly some traces of colonial hangover in minds of those at the helm of New Zealand media. This bunch of disconcert people in New Zealand media can’t simply digest the fact that India has come a long way in past decade and today its leading the world in every sphere of life. This is not a problem with New Zealand media only; the entire western media is plagued with this anti-India and hate-India syndrome, and simply can’t comprehend with India’s changed situations. Part of the blame of creating this negative image of India goes to our leaders also who did nothing post-independence to change this situation. During the early years after independence, India’s then visionary Prime Minister would treat visiting foreign dignitaries showing them rope tricks and snake charmers. This mindset of slavery still exist in minds of the colonisers and their sympathizers and its unacceptable to them to see India progressing leaps and bounds.Recent negative portrayal of India by New Zealand mainstream media is about reporting of Indian government’s decision of notifying the Citizen Amendment Act in the country. This new law passed by Indian Parliament, house of world’s largest democracy, more than 4 years ago had to be implemented at some point.
The new bill grants citizenship to the people of minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who have been religiously persecuted. Condition of the minority communities in these Muslim countries is deplorable and they face discrimination and atrocities in form of force conversions, rape of women and killings on everyday basis. A provision to take back any such oppressed communities was envisioned by our leaders when the country got freedom. The present Indian government is merely executing a commitment made at the time of independence. Since all the named three countries in the new provisions are Muslim majority nations where atrocities are unleashed on minorities, who are now left in very small number. These communities have no choice for shelter except coming to India to save their and their families’ lives, honour, and dignity.

Those opposing the new law are demanding to allow the people of the oppressor community also to take refuge in India. This should be the most absurd argument in the world and entire western media including in New Zealand is portraying this completely fair and legitimate process of law execution as if the Indian government is discriminating against Muslims. As always, neither they have the full understanding of the facts, nor they want to put the facts right since the real intention is to anyhow paint a negative picture of India. These blatantly biased attempts of NZ mainstream media never go down well with the 300k strong Indian diaspora community in New Zealand and neither with the government of India. Hope New Zealand media learns its lesson soon before they succeed in doing any damage to the relations between two countries. -Yugal Parashar