Assertion (A): Democracy in India is in peril because of mass media. Reason (R): With too many regional satraps controlling regional media, naturally regional issues dominate regional media. Codes: (A) Both (A) and (R) are true. (B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). (C) (A) is true, but (R) is false. (D) (A) is false, but (R) is true. Correct Ans: (D) Democracy in India thrives on pluralism, free speech, and vibrant public debate. The assertion claims that mass media has put Indian democracy in danger, which is quite a strong statement. However, the reason provided speaks about the domination of regional issues in regional media due to the control of regional satraps. Let’s break this down. The reason (R) is definitely true. In India, various regional leaders and political parties often own or influence local media outlets. As a result, these platforms tend to focus on local or regional concerns, highlighting state-level developments, politics, and community-specific issues. This kind of focus is natural and, in fact, expected in a diverse and federal structure like India’s. However, this does not automatically mean that democracy is in peril. In fact, such regional media can help amplify voices that might otherwise get lost in national narratives. By bringing local issues into the spotlight, regional media actually strengthens democratic engagement at the grassroots level. Therefore, while it is true that regional satraps influence content, this does not mean the entire democratic structure is collapsing because of media. The assertion exaggerates the problem and lacks support from the reason given. So, the correct answer is (D) — the assertion is false, but the reason is true.
