The media offensive by Republic TV against India Today is far from over, with the channel now targeting anchor Rahul Kanwal over the TRP scam. This comes days after the enforcement directorate gave a clean chit to Republic channels while saying that it had come across “leads that certain households were watching News Nation and India Today in lieu of cash from RMs”.
Earlier this month, Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami treated viewers to “three truths” that they must know. First, there is a “complete and total, abject and a pathetic fabrication of facts against Republic”. Second, there’s “not a shred of evidence” against the channel. And third, there is “sensational evidence” that India Today manipulated TRPs.
. @rahulkanwal, what time is your show on @IndiaToday being put under further investigation for TRP Manipulation? Don't duck, reply. #TRPReportSoon https://t.co/SVXx0Y2zFa pic.twitter.com/4eWag4SQeq
— Republic (@republic) September 26, 2022
On Monday, Republic tweeted a video from 2020 in which Rahul Kanwal spoke about the TRP scam and “accused No.1 Arnab Goswami”. Tagging a news report on the recent findings by the ED, the network asked Kanwal “what time is your show” being put under investigation.
On the day the ED filed its chargesheet, all hell broke loose on Republic TV. On his show, Arnab seemed to revel over the possibility of a probe against India Today. “India Today was taking such a holier than thou position. Look how karma has come to bite them,” he had said.
The ED filed its chargesheet in the TRP scam last week. Notably, Republic TV and Republic Bharat, which were named by the Mumbai police, were left out of the ED’s chargesheet. Naming India Today and News Nation, the ED had said that there were leads suggesting that certain households were watching these channels in lieu of cash from relationship managers.
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