In November 2016, while delivering the vote of thanks during Ramnath Goenka awards, Indian Express’s Editor-in-Chief Raj Kamal Jha had regaled the audience with an anecdote. He told the gathering that once when a Chief Minister told the group’s founder Ramnath Goenka, “Aap ka reporter bahut achha kaam kar raha hai (Your reporter is doing good work)”, Ramnath Goenka had sacked the reporter. Raj Kamal Jha stated that criticism from the Government was a badge of honour. What people witnessed on Twitter today as part of the launch of Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV is the exact opposite of the Ramnath Goenka school of journalism.
From BJP Union Minsiters, to BJP MPs, to BJP MLAs to BJP Spokersperson, to BJP supporters, everybody seemed overjoyed at the launch of Republic TV.
BJP Union Ministers
BJP MP
BJP MLAs
BJP Spokespersons
The unprecedented amount of love showered on Republic TV’s launch by folks from BJP is not surprising though considering Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar who is NDA’s vice-chairman in Kerala is a prominent investor.
It is to be seen whether Arnab Goswami exposes the politician-mafia nexus in BJP ruled statues just like he has in a non-BJP state like Bihar with his Lalu Prasad-Liquor don Shahabuddin story. Bihar has had a liquor ban for just about 2 years, Gujarat has had one for many decades and everybody knows what goes around here.
For a long time now, Arnab Goswami’s journalism has looked like an extension of BJP’s propaganda arm. Recently, after the Sukma attack, he tweeted four times targeting everyone except the Government.
In 2014, when a Naxal attack had happened in the same region, he had questioned the role of UPA’s Home Ministers namely P Chidambaram, Shivraj Patil and Sushil Kumar Shinde.
@TimesNow In April 2014, when attack happened in Sukma, Times Now questioned then Union Govt, in 2017, they're questioning student leaders. pic.twitter.com/vAL3PSDn5i
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) April 24, 2017
Since Arnab refused to question the ruling BJP Governments in Chhattisgarh and Delhi for the Sukma attack, he’s probably seen as an ally and which is possibly why everybody in BJP’s rank and cadre can’t stop gushing about his new channel.
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