Act against Republic TV chief: Sena MP to Maha Home Minister

Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Shiv Sena’s Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant on Tuesday met Mahrashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmkh demanding action against Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for allegedly involving a state cabinet minister in the Sushant Singh Rajput case.

Sawant, a former Union minister, said that Goswami was naming the cabinet minister without any evidence and has violated norms of the Press Council of India (PCI).

Submitting a letter to Deshmukh, Sawant also said that Goswami’s reference to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was ‘aggravating’ and the TV channel head was spreading false news in the interest of a few people.

“Under the garb of journalism, Arnab Goswami, Chief Editor of Republic TV and Republic Bharat, is constantly airing news irresponsibly. Without any evidence, the news channels and Goswami have been levelling allegations on a Maharashtra Cabinet Minister,” Sawant said in the letter.

Later, he informed mediapersons that there is a new fashion of ‘media trials’ and pointed out that the guidelines and code of the PCI must be followed while reporting in any ongoing case.

“In recent times, it has been seen that channels decide the accused, name people and indulge in character assassination. The body language and the manner in which this is done is very disrespectful. It has come to a point where the Maharashtra CM was singularly named (only Uddhav), and such language is aggravating,” he said.

This is disrespectful not only to the person, but an insult to the entire state as he is the CM of the state, Sawant said as he urged Deshmukh to take cognizance in the matter.

Sawant’s plea came five days after another senior Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari — the President of the Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission, who has been accorded the status of Minister of State — served a legal notice to Goswami for various acts during a TV debate.

In the notice sent on August 14, Tiwari demanded that Goswami should “apologise with folded hands” on primetime TV for insults and humiliation during a live debate on the Sushant case, or face criminal proceedings.

–IANS

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