Attack on Arnab exposes missing non-Left ecosystem

NewsBharati    26-Apr-2020 10:38:35 AM   
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For me attack on Arnab Goswami is a small violent incident, it could have been worse of course. But the symbolism and underlying issues are much bigger.

On the face of it, ink attack on various ‘defenders’ of democratic values and rationalists like Mr. Sudheendra Kulkarni was less threatening than some goons actually chasing a car that had a celebrated star journalist with his journalist wife. Imagine, a woman journalist was traumatized in the dark of the night! Now, recall reams of newsprint and hours of debates that showcased blackened Kulkarni. Arnab Goswami himself defended him fiercely and had high decibel shows about it, though he didn’t agree with Mr. Kulkarni’s views. Nearly every channel carried such debates. But, no channel has even reported the current incident, leave alone condemning it! Of course, not even ever articulate Sudheendra ji.

Recall fake news peddled by S Varadarajan and his ilk in these dangerous Corona times, wrongly quoting the Chief Minister of UP. No journalist worth his salt criticized him, of course, none from the Left. The Editor’s Guild kept quiet. Only Arnab named him. There have been many other cases of Varadarajan and his Left friends. This is just an illustrative case. No media champion cautioned the digital portal, leave alone criticize. But, as soon as, he was charge-sheeted, all hell broke loose. Democracy was in danger, the government was fascist! A concerted campaign by the left, liberal media groups was launched and taken to the global audience.

Arnab Goswami had not ascribed any particular group but only condemned Palghar Lynching of Sadhus and asked the champions of minorities, including Sonia Gandhi, who raised hell on other lynching incidents, about their silence. Very legitimate. His language was harsh, ok. But, did he provoke any violence or created enmity between two communities? No sir. Was his news fake? No sir. But his naming Sonia Gandhi suddenly aroused the demon of Emergency in the Congress party. Not one nor 24 but 200 FIRs (according to Republic) were filed against him in Congress-ruled states with the same charges. This means they were centrally coordinated. It was a case of browbeating a journalist into submission. But, entire electronic media and well-funded digital media with the honourable exception of small portals remained quiet. No Left, No Right, No Centre – all quiet on all the fronts.

You see a clearly widening chasm in the media. The Left that was always intolerant of the non-Left, but was able to keep them at the fringes for long and we felt there was no intolerance, that media was a nice happy healthy place. Now, Left/Liberal/faux Secular groups find ground slipping beneath their feet. Terms like ‘godi media’ invented by Left lobbies betray their frustration.

The slipping TRPs of Left outlets show the shift in public mood clearly. BJP or no BJP, Modi or no Modi, Left-led views are no more accepted by the masses. A sustained rise in viewership of non-Left English and Hindi channels shows this hiatus. Bringing in anchors from rival non-Left channels to faux secular channels to keep their viewership intact is a sign of drastic change in societal thinking.

But, while Left, self-appointed liberals and faux Secular groups have different shades, they always rise as one when any of their members feels threatened. They forget the transgression of fake news, hate news, twisted negative news involving Muslim news with Hindu illustrations, casteist news decorated with RSS photos that have no role in the story. They just rise in combined cacophony to defend their friends. You will never find one person from the Left step out of line. It is a tight network, kept well fed by their manipulators. During such times, the Editor’s Guild also provides a protective shield around these unethical journalists, taking no action.

Non-Left on the contrary, like Hindu society, has as many groups as there are views. Slight variation in viewpoint from a supposedly purist view results in severe criticism and trolling of a person on the non-Left side. I am a living example. No group or individual will support the other when a person on their side is threatened by the powerful Left-Secular cabal. The non-Left ecosystem goes quiet when a person like Arnab Goswami is attacked. I talked to a few senior editors. The grouse of similarly persecuted non-Left journalists is that when they were charged with fake FIRs and non-bailable warrants by the political elite claiming to be the sole inheritors of Gandhi and Marx, none came to their support. The left knows this - each one for self and takes advantage of this splintered non-Left.

Non-Left media people know well that all the Modi supporting journalists and TV anchors are marked, people. They are now intellectual untouchables who will be denied entry into elite circles, if and when their patron-in-chief party comes to power. But each one tries to save his or her forts alone. Recall, how Hindu kings were defeated by invading hordes. It shows what is wrong with the emerging ecosystem rooted in the soil of this nation, but is too fragmented. It refuses, typically like Indian society, to come together to fight the common ideological enemies.

I have chosen Arnab Goswami as a test case as he is the most celebrated star of TV journalism today. I have had bitterest debates with Arnab Goswami on issues typically Hindu. He is a confirmed secular. He is equally aggressive against Muslims as with Christians or Hindus who don’t toe his idea of secularism. His temper rises as soon as you mention a word like the Hindu nation, or stand with Hindu rights. Just google ‘Ratan Sharda makes Arnab speechless’ and you will know what I mean. I had similar fiery exchanges when Sabarimala and Shani Shinganapur issues came up. But he has one quality. He still welcomes every panelist who fought with him with humility and respect. Truly liberal.

I have had no problems with NDTV where I had very good debates with Nidhi Razdan for 2-3 years. Never did we have hot exchanges. But invitations stopped coming after my two polite run-ins with another of their top anchors when I contradicted him with facts. The famous Hindi NDTV black screen anchor tried inviting me for months. I finally had a debate on Brussels attacks by Jihadis. We had good polite exchanges. But I refused to toe his line strictly and widened the scope of debate, bringing in our own hidden racism, asserting that we don’t speak about similar Jihadi attacks in Africa. He never called me again. Truly Illiberal.

Story of persecution and crushing the careers of a fellow journalist by dominant left abound. This is happening for decades. Even now, the Left parasites are around in the corridors of power. Ask any non-confirming veteran journalist, he will tell you enough stories of being hounded then and being an outsider now. But, non-Left, national minded intellectuals and journalists don’t seem to have learned from the Left - to stand together when the ideological war turns ugly. Isolation of Arnab Goswami now, and many unnamed editors earlier, within their own fraternity is a symptom of a larger problem in the non-Left ecosystem - refusal to come together, rising above personal differences and egos for the larger battle at hand.

Ratan Sharda

Ratan Sharda has been awarded a PhD for his thesis on RSS. He is an author, columnist and renowned TV panelist. He has written 9 books of which 7 are on RSS, one on Guru Nanak Dev and one on Disaster Management; translated two books about RSS – The Incomparable Guruji Golwalkar and M S Golwalkar: His Vision and Mission, from Hindi to English; written by the foremost RSS thinker Shri Ranga Hari. He has edited/designed 12 books.

His most popular books on RSS are RSS360 degree, Sangh & Swaraj, RSS – Evolution from an Organisation to a Movement, Prof Rajendra Singh Ki Jeevan Yatra and Conflict Resolution: The RSS Way.

Ratan Sharda has travelled extensively in and outside Bharat. He was jailed during 1975-77 in the days of Emergency. He was an ERP consultant for two decades in addition to varied industrial experience of 2 decades. He was the founder secretary of Vishw Kendra (Centre for International Studies), Mumbai for eight years. He is an advisor to many educational institutions and voluntary organisations.