That the news industry suffers from a major trust deficit is no longer news. While targeting Rahul Gandhi is nothing new, this seems to be part of BJP’s strategy to project the 2019 elections as a Presidential-style contest between PM Modi and Gandhi. Irrespective of the facts, the contrast between a fumbling Rahul Gandhi and a confident Modi with his scripted interviews, sets the stage for a two-way battle between them. At least that’s what the BJP hopes, even though our polity is constructed differently. Sinha adds that this also fits in well with the party’s refrain that there is no alternative to Modi in the next general elections. With elections merely months away, the fake news factory is only just warming up.