Republic TV founder Arnab Goswami has often faced flak for not allowing his guests to speak on his show. This was no different this week when he invited a group of guests on his TV channel to discuss the comments made by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra for Goddess Kaali. The controversial anchor stunned his viewers and guests by vowing to sound a broken record.
Goswami launched his TV show with a monologue as he said, “These superficial elements, also politicians say ‘lighten up, lighten up’ about comments on the depiction of Goddess Kaali. The fact is viewers, I didn’t hear them say ‘lighten up, lighten up, take it easy’ in an earlier context. Did you viewers, I didn’t and that’s why these people are and will always be wrong.”
Drawing a parallel with how the BJP had removed Nupur Sharma from the primary membership over her comments for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Goswami asked a Trinamool Congress spokesperson, “Do Hindu sentiments not matter?
Goswami shifted his attention to another guest by asking if Mahua Moitra was not a serial offender. The guest attempted to reply, but he was repeatedly interrupted by the Republic TV founder, who kept repeating his identical question multiple times.
Annoyed by Goswami’s heckling, the guest in question advised the Republic TV founder to ‘control his anxiety.’ The guest added, “I am responding. You can’t ask the question and expect the answer, Then why don’t you answer yourself?”
Goswami rephrased his question and asked, “Was she (Moitra) serially abusing Hindus? What’s wrong with my question?” He went on to repeat the question six more times.
A visibly annoyed guest said, “I am answering but you are letting me speak. You are sounding like a broken record, asking the same thing again and again. Allow me to make my point.”
No sooner did the guest start making his point, than Goswami once again began to repeat the same question endlessly. He even justified his action by saying, “Was she a serial offender, was she a serial offender, was she a serial offender? I shall repeat the question like a completely broken record. Was she a serial offender?”
His poor guest finally managed to say that Moitra’s comments were in poor taste but the Trinamool Congress MP had not made those remarks to ridicule the Hindu faith.
Goswami didn’t agree and said that Moitra had made fun of the Ram Mandir donation campaign.
Speaking at an event organised by India Today, Moitra had described Goddess Kaali as a ‘meat-eating, alcohol-accepting’ diety. A case was filed against her in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. The Trinamool Congress had distanced itself from Moitra’s comments.