New Delhi: There is a lot about the media on Twitter Thursday and very little that was positive.
The opinion on the microblogging site was split after Republic TV anchor Arnab Goswami reported that he had been attacked in a parking lot late last night in Mumbai following his attack on Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Republic Bharat.
Just to give you an idea of how the sides stack up:
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari and BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar, who owned stake in Republic TV, argued over the news anchor’s conduct on his channel when Goswami alleged that Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi had orchestrated the Palghar lynchings. See what Chandrashekhar replied.
Dear @ManishTewari –
1. #Arnab owns republic.
2. I n all Indians stand by his right to freely express his views
3. If u think, he has violated laws, then u know wht to do
4. Dont waste ur time wth these threats of going around n coming around. ???
5. #StayHomeStaySafe https://t.co/MMOXmhqnzR— Rajeev Chandrasekhar ?? (@rajeev_mp) April 23, 2020
Congress and BJP then brawled on Twitter: Here is BJP’s Amit Malviya and Congress’ Srivatsa.
Five Biggest LIES sold to INDIANS
1. Arnab is a Journalist
2. Modi is Vikas Purush
3. Shah is Chanakya
4. RSS is not political
5. India is heaven for MuslimsArnab's oxygen is attacking Gandhis & sowing Hindu-Muslim hatred. He is the biggest B&D in India.#ArrestAntiIndiaArnab
— Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) April 22, 2020
Attack on Arnab Goswami and his wife in Mumbai is an attack on everyone who is on the side of truth. Sonia Gandhi must reign in her goons. Govt of Maharashtra must act against the assailants.
India’s liberal values and freedom of press are under threat. Congress is at it, again!
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 22, 2020
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha then spells out the ‘cardinal’ rule of journalism.
The cardinal principle of journalism: The journalist should never become the story.
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) April 23, 2020
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah condemns the attack on Goswami but former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju is unwilling to overlook the past.
True we must condemn attack on Arnab. But y do u ignore his relentless spouting of venom against a particular community, his spreading communal hatred, & shameless sycophancy of the rulers ?
— Markandey Katju (@mkatju) April 23, 2020
Meanwhile, Kashmiri journalist Gowhar Geelani who was recently booked under UAPA brings us another story — this time his own.
Journalists and writers are storytellers. They tell people’s stories and explain the events in a proper context with an analytical sweep. As a journalist, It is my job to write, to tell stories, and to analyse and interpret different situations and events on the ground.
— Gowhar Geelani (@GowharGeelani) April 23, 2020
On World Book Day, Congress recommends only one book to the BJP. Guess what it is…
There's only one book we recommend the BJP reads this #WorldBookDay – the Indian Constitution. pic.twitter.com/dW0OF00AL4
— Congress (@INCIndia) April 23, 2020
In other news, Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K.T. Rama Rao accuses India Today news editor Rahul Kanwal of publishing false data on the number of PPE kits available in the state.
Rahul, If you don’t have accurate data, don’t publish nonsense & confuse people in these troubling times
Will you & India today apologise if I prove that we have 100 times more PPEs than what you have projected here?
Sorry but this is disgraceful journalism @sardesairajdeep https://t.co/gPRHaQVVFU
— KTR (@KTRTRS) April 22, 2020
And here’s Union Minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo teaching “manners” to Kolkata police.
Hon'ble minister ko gussa aaya.. pic.twitter.com/J8xlVoqHRA
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) April 22, 2020
A happy announcement by BJP Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal!
Kargil becomes Covid-19 free District.
Thanks all warriors!
— Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (@JTNBJP) April 22, 2020
Bollywood actor Konkona Sen Sharma stands in solidarity with former JNU student leader and activist Umar Khalid, who’s been booked under the UAPA law.
“Umar Khalid had said that the only two weapons we will use in this struggle are those given by Mahatma Gandhi – Ahimsa and Satyagraha – and that we will fight against hate with love.” https://t.co/2W8CJhfjqp
— Konkona Sensharma (@konkonas) April 22, 2020
Renowned oncologist and Pulitzer Prize winning author Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee’s sympthaties are with the health professionals.
Reading the Times today and looking at the severe cases with YOUNG deaths: nurses, therapists, caregivers, doctors. We should really really think about viral dose and it’s relationship to severity. Happy to be proved wrong…but these people really need PPE
— Siddhartha Mukherjee (@DrSidMukherjee) April 22, 2020
Wonder how many have searched this online!
You gotta do what you gotta do!! pic.twitter.com/lg4BuGGe6k
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) April 23, 2020
With inputs from Bismee Taskin