The Central Bureau of Investigation’s probe against Y S Jaganmohan Reddy is the only issue dominating the news in all the television channels and the newspapers, at least in Andhra Pradesh if not at the national level.

Switch on any news channel, there is only one issue: Jagan’s interrogation and his possible arrest. Day and in day out, only Jagan issue is dominating all shows as if nothing else is happening in the state, leave alone world. Every channel or newspaper has deputed at least half a dozen reporters to cover the Jagan episode. The OB vans of news channels have lined up all along the Raj Bhavan Road and Jubilee Hills.

And as there is too much hype on Jagan and his impending arrest, there have been all sorts of speculations in the media: that Jagan has ordered that there be violent incidents state-wide and that the CBI is sending reports to Prime Minister of India every day on the course of interrogation of Jagan; and that Sonia Gandhi is personally monitoring the investigation giving instructions to the CBI from time to time.

One wonders why the media is giving so much hype to Jagan’s interrogation. There is going to be definitely a serious political fall out of Jagan’s arrest; but the CBI is treating him like any other economic offender. There is no need for overplaying the issue so much, but treat the issue on its merit. There are many other issues in the state on which media can pay attention: for example the growing unrest among the public over petrol price hike. But unfortunately, the media in AP has become person-centric, rather than people-centric.