NDTV founder says BJP MP Swamy’s attacks have continued over the last 7-8 years despite him knowing well that his accusations are false.
New Delhi: NDTV founder Prannoy Roy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging a malicious campaign is being run against his channel by the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP, Subramanian Swamy.
In a letter to the PM, he said that Swamy, through various unethical and dubious methods, has ensured that American media organisations GE and NBC are being accused of “money laundering” and indulging in “sham transactions” with NDTV.
“These outrageous accusations are being made by India’s Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department,” Roy stated.
The letter said that Swamy and ‘his small group’ were damaging India’s reputation in a motivated and egregious attack on the free media in India, adding that his actions had the potential to dent India’s reputation internationally amid Modi’s own efforts to secure foreign investments for the country.
“At a time when you are seeking more Foreign Direct Investment for India, this sort of wild and baseless charge is damaging India’s reputation. A leading US businessman recently said to us, ‘Why should we come to invest in India – false cases may be filed against us!’” the letter said, adding that these false accusations against GE and NBC’s investments in NDTV had been made for several years without an iota of evidence.
Roy said Swamy and RSS ideologue S. Gurumurthy started making the accusations seven-eight years ago, knowing well that the allegations were false. Yet, he said, they were ready to sacrifice India’s reputation and foreign investment for “their own sordid motives to suppress NDTV and India’s media”. “Should petty personal motives be allowed to come ahead of the interests of our nation?” he asked.
In a response to the letter, Swamy tweeted, “That is, India is NDTV and NDTV is India. In the Emergency India is Indira and Indira is India? Much difference in mentality?”