Times Now’s Navika Kumar on Sunday faced widespread condemnation for a tweet, now deleted, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s energy. This was after Modi visited the construction site of the new parliament after returning from the US.
The photos of Modi reportedly inspecting the construction works of the Centra Vista project went viral on social media. Navika in her tweet had asked Modi, “Just one question. Where does @PMOIndia get this energy from?”
The controversial TV anchor began to face widespread condemnation from netizens, who accused her of sycophancy. Others reminded the TV anchor how Modi had refused to take time off to meet farmers, who have been protesting against the controversial Farm Laws at the Delhi border for months.
I wish Navika had also asked why our PM cannot spend a few calories of this energy to meet our farmers one-on-one.
I stand with our farmers.
#आज_भारत_बंद_है#FarmersBharatBand pic.twitter.com/2TMPpG3hjg— Gp Capt Christopher (Retd) (@bcchristopher) September 27, 2021
Navika to Jhonny Sins:
"Where do you get so much energy from?"— Spirit of Congress✋ (@SpiritOfCongres) September 27, 2021
Even Hiren Joshi of PMO couldn’t handle this extra behavior & going over & beyond the script.
Ergo, deleted. pic.twitter.com/POJwNtbPq5
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) September 26, 2021
It was a good science question. Why did she delete?
— Ghazal AK (@Ghazala2402) September 26, 2021
Bootlicking level 1000
— Saniya Sayed (@Ssaniya_) September 26, 2021
Just one question. Is this journalism? https://t.co/in5ApCZQc0
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) September 26, 2021
Shut up! pic.twitter.com/4Lx5pOOXkD
— ???????????????????????? (@Aparna) September 27, 2021
But the tweet disappeared from the microblogging site within minutes after Navika posted it.
This is not the first time a member of the Indian TV channels, often dubbed as lapdog media, asked Modi about his energy in a bid to earn brownie points. Just before the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, Rubika Liyaquat of ABP News had asked Modi why never got tired.
She had infamously told Modi, “You are also a human. You have two eyes, even I have two. At times, even I get tired and I say ‘I’m tired, I can’t do anymore.’ Tell us the truth, ‘why don’t you get tired? Are you very possessive about your chair or you enjoy your work. Or you take some kinds of tonic.'”
"Aap thakte kyun nhi hai?"
"Tonic le rahe hai?"
"Raaz kya hai?"
*Prasoon Joshi faints* pic.twitter.com/xOU3jYBInb
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) April 5, 2019
Indian TV channels and their anchors have earned notoriety for having severely compromised their editorial integrity in their bid to act as spokespersons for the ruling BJP. While many link their brazen biases for the BJP to their desperation to stay employed, others believe that Modi’s grip over power has emboldened them to display their Hindutva ideology with impunity.