Arnab Goswami arrested: Shameful, says BJP chief JP Nadda; ‘Who speaks if you are next’, asks Smriti Irani

The arrest of journalist, Republic Television editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in a two-year old case of suicide abetment has created a stir on Wednesday morning. The journalist was first detained from his Mumbai residence and then arrested.

BJP president JP Nadda took to Twitter and denounced the arrest without mincing ay word. Drawing a parallel to Emergency, he wrote, “India didn’t forgive Indira Gandhi for the Emergency. India never forgave Rajiv Gandhi for his assault on press freedom. And now, India will again punish Sonia-Rahul Gandhi for their brazen and intimidating use of state power to get equal with journalists.”

 

India didn’t forgive Indira Gandhi for the Emergency. India never forgave Rajiv Gandhi for his assault on press freedom. And now, India will again punish Sonia-Rahul Gandhi for their brazen and intimidating use of state power to get equal with journalists.

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) November 4, 2020

“Every person who believes in a free press and freedom of expression is furious at the Maharashtra Government’s bullying and harassment of Arnab Goswami. This is yet another instance of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi-directed antic of silencing those who disagree with them. Shameful!” he added.

Union ministers Prakash Javadekar, Smriti Irani too condemned the arrest and blamed the Congress for the arrest.

“Emergency came to an end in 1977 but the tendency of imposing it still persists. After Shiv Sena, which stood by the emergency and Congress, the party which imposed it joined hands in the state, the tendency has surfaced. Such attempts of suppressing the voice against government is detrimental to democracy. Country has always stood against such attempts,” former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted in Marathi.

Though there has been no statement from the Maha Vikas Aghadi government on this arrest so far, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut quashed all these “vendetta” allegations and said that whatever has been done has followed due course of law.

Maharashtra Congress’s general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant termed the arrest as a tribute to late Anway Naik. “Anway Naik and his mother were compelled to commit suicide after Arnab’s channel failed to pay his dues worth Rs 80 lakh. The Fadnavis government failed to investigate the case and do justice with the family of the deceased. There was a lot of political pressure on the then Fadnavis government to hush up the case for the obvious reasons. The Modi government was protecting Arnab just because his channel was taking their agenda forward. Instead of condemning the action against the culprit, the BJP should feel ashamed for their failure to accord justice to Naik family. We welcome the action taken by the MVA government,” he said.