Critics of Modi migrate online

There's scarcely any critical evaluation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India's mainstream television channels and most newspapers as the world's most populous nation heads toward a general election.

India's once-in-five-years election usually draws fiery debate and mudslinging across its sprawling media. But this year, criticism of Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is mostly online, some of which has gone viral in recent weeks.

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has accused Modi of behaving like a dictator in a video that has over 27 million views, citing what he called silencing of critics, the use of federal investigation agencies to browbeat the opposition.

Neha Singh Rathore, who produces popular music videos in the Bhojpuri language of eastern India, asks "What is happening in our country" in one of her songs, with stanzas on cronyism, shady electoral funding and the lack of action on unemployment, inflation and alleged violence against minorities.