Jrg Sudharson

From NewsLaundry/NewsMinute: Why Arnab Goswami is suddenly questioning the Modi government Arnab Goswami’s sudden rediscovery of the art of questioning the Modi government has set tongues wagging in newsrooms and on social media alike. Supporters are hailing it as a long-awaited return to form; critics are looking for a hidden motive. So what really changed? We had conversations with nearly a dozen people who know how Arnab Goswami works, and most were equally puzzled. But all of them suggested this is less a political awakening and more a calculated business pivot.  The trigger, insiders say, was the Indigo crisis. As we reported earlier, the decision to go all out on the issue was driven by a simple assessment: public anger was high, and no one on television was owning the story. Republic did, slammed the TDP, and the gamble paid off. TRP numbers jumped sharply that week, offering proof that confrontational journalism, even when directed at the ruling establishment, still sells. What followed was a familiar playbook. Arnab took on the Modi government over Delhi’s toxic air, turned the spotlight on alleged destruction in the Aravalli mountain range, and even zeroed in on a Madhya Pradesh BJP leader accused of spending Rs 70 lakh on firecrackers at his son’s wedding. And this has created a buzz among viewers. Whether appreciating or questioning Goswami, the point is that he has become a topic of discussion.  The Aravallis coverage, insiders insist, is not just about ratings. It also carried a distinct corporate subtext. Not long ago, Arnab had been one of the Adani Group’s fiercest public defenders, especially during the fallout from the Hindenburg report. Today, that equation has changed. With Adani’s acquisition of NDTV, the group has emerged as a direct competitor. NDTV, now flush with resources, has been aggressively poaching talent from rival newsrooms, including Republic’s and offering advertising packages that undercut the market. “The Adani-NDTV machine is hurting us commercially,” said a senior executive from Republic. “So when Arnab appears to be attacking the government over the Aravallis, he’s actually going after Adani.” Inside the Republic newsroom, however, these strategic calculations remain largely unspoken. Even senior journalists say there has been no formal announcement of an editorial course correction. “Nothing has been discussed explicitly in edit meetings,” one reporter said.  What has openly been discussed is the data. Clips of Goswami grilling the government are going viral. TRPs are climbing. Ad rates have nudged upward. For a channel built on high-decibel relevance, that feedback loop is hard to ignore and even harder to abandon. As for the Modi government, those familiar with the arrangement describe it as an unspoken truce. Occasional criticism is permissible, even useful. But on core ideological terrain, the red lines remain firmly in place. And this is where the real crux of the matter lies. What position will Arnab take on issues like communalism?  Let’s also not forget that around the same time these clips on Indigo and Aravallis were going viral, Arnab interviewed RSS ideologue Gurumurthy over the Thiruparankundram deepam row and slammed the opposition for asking for impeachment of Justice GR Swaminathan.  In prime-time television, it seems, dissent can be flexible but loyalty, like business sense, knows its limits.