Barkha Dutt has termed Rajdeep Sardesai’s silence on her ‘war’ with Arnab Goswami as complicity to the Times Now’s editor-in-chief’s call for the trial of media.
Barkha last week had taken to Facebook to slam Arnab for allegedly calling to gag Indian media. Even in her Facebook post, she had criticised the members of her fraternity for their political correctness and ‘timid silence.’
The popular NDTV anchor had written, ““Imagine, a journalist actually exhorts the government to shut down sections of the media, misrepresents them as ISI agents and terror sympathisers, calls for them to be tried and acted against.
Many social media users tagged Barkha’s former colleague at NDTV, Rajdeep Sardesai, to take a stand but the latter appeared evasive.
Instead he chose to pen down his reasons for not taking an open stand through his blog.
He wrote in his blog, Rajdeep wrote, “A website rang me up last evening asking if I would like to express an opinion on the ongoing ‘war’ between Arnab Goswami and Barkha Dutt on tv and social media. I was tempted, if only because I have a strong opinion on most things and believe silence is not an option in the unethical times we live in.
“And yet, I pressed the pause button and decided I didn’t wish to speak on the issue and aggravate the controversy. Maybe, I was influenced by the fact that both Barkha and Arnab have been former colleagues and I have respected their work.
“Maybe, having been bitten in the past, I didn’t want to join the viper’s den which platforms like Twitter have been reduced to: 24 X 7 rage machines where every attempt is made to throw darts at public figures, often under the guise of anonymity.
“Maybe, I just like to see myself as a nice guy who doesn’t wish to see more unpleasantness around him.”
Rajdeep’s ‘silence’ aside, many journalists have come forward in support of Barkha. NDTV’s Ravish Kumar wrote a hard-hitting blog on Friday. A similar critical opinion piece was written by ABP’s Abhisar Sharma the same day.
Social media users too have been condemning the comments made by Arnab, who’s lately become notorious for allegedly towing the BJP line through the coverage on Times Now.
Read it here
Feature image courtesy nytlive.nytimes.com
