It’s a game of wits between a rabble-rousing TV host and a genteel chief minister. This isn’t an ordinary game. Who wins this round will have deep, longstanding repercussions on the future of the Shiv Sena-led coalition government in Maharashtra.
Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami is daring the Uddhav Thackeray government: do you have the guts to take me on? This dare has to be seen in the context of the BJP’s goals in the state.
For all its alleged Chanakyaniti, the BJP was defeated in the post-election games in Maharashtra. Despite being the single largest party, and doing everything it could, including waking up the President of India at 5 am, it lost the plot to Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress. Uddhav Thackeray became chief minister.
Not having a BJP CM in any state is unacceptable to home minister Amit Shah. The humiliation of losing Maharashtra to a rag-tag post-poll coalition is worse. To be outfoxed by a nice Uddhav Thackeray, an ageing Sharad Pawar and a comatose Congress is not something Amit Shah is going to forget.
The BJP is itching to gain power back in Maharashtra. And before it can mount a coup, it has to do everything to can to weaken and delegitimise the Uddhav Thackeray government.
Arnab Goswami’s dare to Uddhav Thackeray has to be seen in this light.
Also read: No communal angle to Palghar, strict action against those fuelling hate: Uddhav Thackeray
An attack dog
Founded in 2017, the Goswami-led Republic TV was incubated by Rajiv Chandrasekhar, a Bengaluru politician and entrepreneur who was at the time associated with the BJP-led NDA coalition. He has since resigned as Republic TV director, and has been rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat and is now a member of the BJP.
Day in and day out, Republic TV, on its English and Hindi channels, acts as an attack dog of the BJP on the opposition, liberals, and just about anybody who is critical of the BJP or its majoritarian, anti-minority agenda. In other words, Republic TV is a weapon in the hands of the BJP.
To be fair, it is not the only channel to be thus deployed. There are way too many. But Republic TV is a leading light, especially given that vast amounts of money must have been poured in the distribution game to give its English Channel high TRP ratings. As various channels compete for high ratings and access to the Narendra Modi government, they keep going down the rabbit hole of peddling majoritarian hate to impress the masters in Lutyens’ Delhi.
Also read: How not to report: A lesson from Republic TV, Times Now, ABP covering Bandra migrants
Arnab, the BJP weapon
Arnab, the BJP weapon, is being used now to singularly target Uddhav Thackeray, to destabilise and delegitimise his government. The praise that Uddhav Thackeray has been winning as a balanced, serious, governance-oriented chief minister is clearly not going down well with the BJP. Bringing down Uddhav Thackeray is an important BJP project, and Arnab seems to be part of that strategy.
In allying with the NCP and the Congress, Shiv Sena has given up on anti-Muslim politics, and is limiting itself to non-violent Marathi identity politics. Creating communal tensions in Maharashtra is thus key to making life difficult for Uddhav Thackeray. It is meant to force him into taking a ‘secular’ position that weakens his position before the Shiv Sena cadres. Furthermore, the resulting Hindu-Muslim polarisation will help the BJP gain ground.
It is this desperation to communalise the political discourse in Maharashtra that the lynching of two sadhus and their driver in Palghar by a tribal mob (‘of the same faith as the attacked’) was immediately given a Hindu-Muslim angle by the formidable BJP-allied troll armies. When the salivating communal vultures were silenced by a mature video put out by Uddhav Thackeray, Arnab Goswami went in another direction: Why is Sonia Gandhi silent? What if the victim had been Muslim? Whataboutery, the favourite weapon of the Muslim-bashing hate-mongers.
Just before this, we had seen Arnab Goswami communalise the gathering of migrant labourers at Bandra railway station. He had asked: Why did they gather before the Jama Masjid of Bandra?
Also read: Uddhav Thackeray has failed to handle Covid crisis. Bring in Army to save Mumbai
Uddhav Thackeray’s Catch-22 situation
If Uddhav Thackeray goes after Arnab Goswami, it may be a victory for Arnab Goswami and the anti-Muslim at large. They can’t play victim over the death of two Sadhus (because the killers weren’t Muslim), so they’ll play victim over Arnab Goswami. The biggest enemies of free speech will suddenly start talking about press freedom.
The personalised attack on Sonia Gandhi is also a way of creating tensions between allies Shiv Sena and Congress. The Congress may want Uddhav to turn the heat on Arnab, and Arnab will thus get to play martyr. Already, he’s won round one of this game with alleged Congress hooligans chasing his car and attacking it. And he has already blamed Sonia Gandhi personally for it.
If Uddhav chooses to look the other way and let Arnab carry on with his inflammatory speeches in the name of press freedom, it will make Uddhav look weak. It will again establish the supremacy of majoritarian hate politics that the chief minister has disowned.
In politics, perception is reality. And power has its own logic regardless of anything else. If you look weak, the balance of power tilts against you. If Uddhav Thackeray doesn’t act against Arnab Goswami, he will be bowing before his dare. Arnab Goswami, the BJP and majoritarian hate politics will have won.
There are enough and more grounds to take strong legal action against Arnab: the potential breach of peace his speeches could cause; causing enmity between communities; spreading rumours that could cause panic during an epidemic. These are all violations of laws in force. And taking legal action against Arnab Goswami on these grounds would be legally valid. The spirit of the law demands so.
Also read: Indian media is waging a holy war against Muslims. It acts like hyenas
Appeasement hasn’t been working
From driving M.F. Husain out with legal harassment to summoning The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan to a police station in Ayodhya during a lockdown, majoritarian forces regularly use legal harassment as means to silence their critics. By contrast, liberal leaders in power rarely ever use the law against communal hate mongers. Thanks to this inequality, majoritarian hate-mongering carries on with impunity.
Arnab Goswami, for instance, seems to be pretty sure Uddhav Thackeray won’t have the guts to take legal action against him. At the most, a few FIRs and running around police stations or courts, all of which he’ll turn into a spectacle to his own advantage. In the worst-case scenario, Lutyens’ Delhi will save him.
Liberal leaders and governments have been practising a policy of appeasement before the majoritarian Right. They are afraid that taking on the monster head-on could make it bigger. But look how the monster keeps growing ever bigger despite this policy of appeasement. Majoritarian forces thrive on appeasement from the other side because the public can see the appeasement is coming from weakness, not strength.
Uddhav Thackeray needs the courage to look the monster in the eye, or be devoured by it.
The author is contributing editor to ThePrint. Views are personal.
So much for Unbiased journalism. What a joke!
Do you bark back when a dog barks at you?
So calling the PM and home minister names is ok. And calling Sonia Gandhi by her real name is punishable offense. Shame! This article is expected from print.
Why is the The Print afraid of criticism when it itself is calling Arnab a dog. This is very intolerant of those who think of themselves as highly liberal and tolerant. Firstly this vile character called Shivam Vij doesn’t answer as to why Arnab should not question Sonia Gandhi. Then from nowhere he brings Uddhav into the picture saying that Uddhav should not bow before the BJP. What does he mean by that ? Does he mean Uddhav should go easy on the youth congress rowdies who attacked Arnab and his wife and tried to harm them ? Is that what this brain dead man Vij mean ? Or are congressmen beyond law ? They can beat up anyone who dares to ask questions of their leaders ? Is this what Vij trying to convey ? This Lutyens mafia which congress has consistently exposed is very dangerous for the aam admi of this country. It immediately springs to the defence of those who are wrong doers, who flout the laws of this land and anyone who is opposed to the BJP. Mr Shivam Vij is living in the fool’s paradise if he thinks he can get away buy remaining a mute spectator and playing the role of advocates for the youth congress rowdies. Tomorrow it may be his turn to be at the receiving end, may be Shekhar Gupta’s or anybody else’s. Then he should not complain. For as you sow, so shall you reap. Immature, impulsive characterless piece as expected from congressi thugs
If Arnab is the attack dog for the BJP, is The Print an attack dog for the Congress?
Under the new UAPA rule, any person who is preventing the functioning and aggrivating instablity for Government of Maharashtra which is part of India is a Terrorist.
Are we losing the message and shooting the messenger?
What is more important for India. Everything is a two way traffic….. respect, love, affection, tolerance…..Let us not be hypocritical…and see a positive in matters….can this incident, if handled properly kill for ever some misconceptions?
With so many “experts’ I hope this is taken to a beneficial conclusion
Nice cooked up story!! Go read it out to your italian bar dancer. She might want to send out some more dogs on the street to bark at Arnab’ s car.
Epitome of Hypocrisy…. Shekhar Gupta and his team!
U r doing a fabulous job Arnab … If this conspiracy was created by Sonia Gandhi then it’s really ridiculous nd short mentality. I would like to thnk Sonia Gandhi and his family to show the real face behind the pervert one which has been shown for a long time. People are well educated nd have good sense of humour to understand their goods and bads. They Elected Modi g nd feeling proud that he is a global leader and have most popularity among whole world. He failed china’s conspiracy nd diplomacy. No doubt China first started to play in 5G spectrum. As soon as it failed he spreaded covid 19. He wanna ruin the economy of every country nd wanna b the global single ruler. Arnab is a very well educated guy and have very good knowledge of such conspiracies. Sonia g i would like to ask that do u have any relation with China ? Answer for all the scams as well happened in ur ruling time. Not only Arnab Goswami, 135 cr. People wanna knkw the answer.
Let’s not forget who the masters of The Print and The Wire are and at whose behest these figments of imagination are being penned.
The nice Uddhav Thackeray allowed the Wadhavan family of 22 to travel more than 150 kms to Mahabaleshwar for partying at their farmhouse during strict lockdown. Then a minister in his cabinet who is from NCP has been involved in a ugly incident where a man was picked up from his Thane home, brought to the ministers house and beaten almost till he dies. Then there was a crowd of5 K people at Thane, gathered right under a sleeping and nice Uddhav and his police during lockdown. Then 3 people including 2 Sadhus were lynched in Palghar when again the nice Uddhav was sleping at the wheels while his police handed over the 3 men to the mob so that the mon could bludgeon them to death with lathis. I wish the same treatment by the nice Uddhav could be given to this congress agent who is trying his best to protect his maalkin and trying to divert the issue to the nice Uddhav. Third class rowdys masquerading as journos. No wonder they are employed by a news portal whose boss is the head of Editors guild of India, another spineless and self serving organization, mainly catering to the whims of its political masters. The nation is with Arnab and bothe congress and Sena will have to pay a heavy political price. Wild Dogs like Vij may keep on barking.
Author of this s+++t is a regular b j p abuser. His credibility is zero. It is surprising that how mr Gupta is allowing this so called writer to pollute the pages of the Print.gopalakrmkbbv
Worst journalism just change your sissy ass name to Rahul ka choot
Arnab speaks on issues affecting the nation and this congress lapdog gets so irritated that he spins his own story on what Uddhav should do and what not. The most laughable part is that Shiv Sena has become secular. Whenever the congress President is question thse insects hiding in their holes come out and start their usual communal secular rants to protect their bread giver. This is dalali of the worst kind. Uddhav became nice, secular and what not as soon as he joined the congress and NCP ? I wonder what this idiot is smoking ? And by the the question raised by Arnab are very legitimate. Why shouldn’t Sonia be questioned ? The scam queen who presided over 10 years of loot and plunder of India’s wealth can’t be questioned ? And if Shivam Vij is calling Arnab a dog it only shows that this third class man called Shivam Vij is a doormat of the congress who would rather enjoy the poop of his political masters than call spade a spade.
The article clearly indicates the partiality politics of the brainless author? This man must be a Congress xxx licker! SHAMLESS writer! CM OF MAHARASHTRA IS AN INEXPERIENCED MAN? And ha as no knowledge about politics,This CM BACKSTABED -BJP ? The author must know that this CM proudly says that he is a follower of HINDUTVA ! GOOD SENSE PREVAIL ON THE HEAD OF THE WRITER!
When a minority is affected Cong,Communist,Luretyn’s jump without verifying.Cong&Luretyn’s protected Delhi rioters.From appeasement, Cong is propping rioters now.
Congress is no more the old Congress. Now it is Italian Mafia gang. Similarly Siva Sena is no more our old Siva Sena by our beloved Baba Saheb. It is now Banar Sena. The Print is by Sekhar Gupta who is the head of so called Editor,s Guild. Again Editor’s Guild is no more the same old Editor’s Guild, it is now a group of Lutiyan’s journos loyal to Sonia Sena.
CM of Maharashtra is very clever and has ability to tackle the problem of corona virus but BJP will never allow him to be successful. Now Actually shivaji maharaj rule came in Maharashtra .like shivaji maharaj Udhav ji also respect all religions and he have best administrative skills than BJP CM so they are jealous so they send their barking dogs
Kettle calling the pot black !!
How come shiv Sena become secular for liberals. Liberals are hypocrits
Dude! Get a life. Not sticking to facts and mis representing the rest of them seems to be the theme of this article. Extremely lopsided and poorly presented to say the least.
Doesn’t Shekhar Gupta beleive in Congress idelogy and Shivam Vij has just written a senseless article to follow his boss. Completely biased article
We will snatch power from Italian intruders .
U choose sides and write some misleading articles which some read…..
r u too not a dog taking sides and showing faith to ur master
Print ..boot lickers of congress.u ppl can’t digest truth and create new stories day by day.nobody cares ur opinion…
The print… Mouthpiece of so called liberals and Left. Your articles don’t appeal much to public. You print anything of Kamra, Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Kavita Krishnan, Anurag Kashyap which go against Modi and BJP.
Very well said and put and it’s true to the core.
Though I dont support the biased journalism of the Republic but the above piece is also laced with biases and prejudicies.
Firstly, it writes as if supports the present dispensation in Maharashtra which is against the mandate of the people and on the same page talks about of the Majoritarian forces and their evils. This is clearly a selective view wherein the crimes of one are discounted and the crimes of the other highlighted
Secondly the article also supports Uddhav thackeray knowing that his party follows a brand of more violent majoritatian politics than the dispensation which it is talking about and just because it is in power stopping someone else whom who have bias against, has now become a savior. This i feel is a more dangerous form of journalism and can only be termed as disturbing bias and opportunism.
You are adding fuel to a non existence fire for your own TRP ratings. Media seems to have taken over India, and even The Print is not averse to the fat pickings.
Anti nationals are obviously paid well by someone…. how else do so many crooked minds get into journalism to write motivated drivel as this???
Shivam Vij, R U being PAID by Congress? U must be aware that Congress too have NDTV under their wings?Arnab has been very critical of Congress and goons of Congress attacked Arnab?We have U under our scanner so becareful what U say.
Ghnta le le the print Arnab is real journalist your propaganda won’t work ??
Do you think Shekar Gupta is non partisan who is known stooge of anti Modi brigade.
A very insightful article indeed. Well explained and cleared all the doubts of the recent developments going on. Thanks.
The print is now Rant aginst Arnab
Absolutely bang on analysis By Mr Shivam Vij. Form the word go, Arnab Goswami acts like a henchman. No secret at all. No traits of responsible journalist at all.
Now, nation is facing worse kind of health and economic emergency, to dethrone Uddhav Thackeray Arnab Goswami, is at his level worse. Who would have thought, India’s journalism specially few of journalists like Arnab Goswami will be given free hand by the ruling BJP to do a GOONDA JOURNALISM uninterrupted.
In the midst of this Goondaism Judiciary is in silent mode, investing agencies acts like a robot. A Very Sad state of affair. Who knows, Arnab and his Masters will be successful in toppling Udhhav Thackeray’s government, but at the same time, nation will become more vicious place to live. Muslims, Migrants, Dalits, Aadivasis , Women will be the usual scapegoats.
Who is founded to you
Mr. Vij, how do you know that the sadhus were lynched by the people of the same faith as the attacked ? Be bold enough to use the word lynched instead of attacked. Have you not seen how the sadhu was running helter-skelter for help and the police just ignored , like people ignore beggars on the roadside ? People like you cannot be hindu if you are so casual in your description of the incident. And by the way every dog knows who his master is. Hope in your herat of heart you know.
This is really interesting.
1. The Print has got to such a low level that they are calling journalist “A Dog”. Did you forget that he is a fellow journalist?
2. The Print is accusing Arnab to serve BJP interests. Have you introspected yourself? Aren’t you guys always opponent of BJP and thus serving non-BJP party’s interests?
3. No need for anyone else to try to weaken Shivsena or for that matter Mr. Uddhav Thackeray. He is already weakened by Congress and NCP. LOL!!!!
If arnab is weapon of bjp . Whose weapon are you ?? So all journalists are weapon of someone are other.
Arnab is a BJPimp. Time to take this opportunistic bigot to task
Do “ the print” agree that in every decades the Russians/Americans &British agency works to influence different community by paying high penny to so called media & journal (ex. Print) for propaganda, so that they can create their own choice of people mindsets and government ( ex. Britain Analytica). They hire their cream brains and sell them weapons to fight with neighbour. One party gives free of cost weapons to their neighbour in name of Aid, Other country being compelled to buy weapons and a profit share goes to compensate that Aid.
We were then “Gulam”, we are still too, but format changes as time change.
And who cares…..
All of we says we are democratic republic, we have freedom of speech, But we will not bear with elected government. Because mine opinion is important and not most of countries’opinions.
Shiv Sena chief and genteel is an oxymoron in terms of expression. The Shiv Sainiks are a bunch of goons. Now if this mornings news is correct, then it appears there has been some technology transfer, with the congress having learnt the art of sending goons to hound jurnos. On the flip side Uddav Thackre has learnt the delicate Congi art of fudging the truth with secularism.
Definitely Shivam Vij is Propaganda Dog of Congress & a mad one at that !
Jaundiced views
These junk writers think that the readers can’t decipher their intent. They think that what they write is gospels truth n we are dodos .
Bygone are those days. The average citizen of this country knows what’s good for the Nation Hindustan.
What would you call The Great Editor of marathi Daily, ” Samana”, Mr.Snjay Rout,
Who has the Capacity To Make Any Comment on Our Prime Minister ( It may not be his
Prime Minister !)
“Watch Dog !” ? Or “Dog Watch!”?
Arnab is right at his place…. it was a conspiracy against him to silent his voice… Carry on Arnab …. The diplomacy of this family must b shown to whole world.
Shivam is like gali kaa dog while Arnab is a Bulldog.
How the liberal change their pen and mindset , just assume it’s any reporter on ndtv or any journalist who is against bjp whole India might have become intolerant, Constitution might have murdered, n so on, instead of sadhus it someone line akhlaq whole world including India will be accused for bad governance, I m not pro bjp or justifying anyones act, I am just asking reader how the print and other media house change their agenda as per convenience, so if some one is not bothered if it’s anti bjp media house, then why such people cry if some pro bjp media does pro bjp act, I think journalist must be neutral if not then he should not open his bloody mouth one sided.