Pallavi Ghosh, a representative working for Mukesh Ambani-owned CNN-News18, has found herself at the receiving end because of her tweet seemingly endorsing the BJP’s narrative in the West Bengal assembly polls. While some journalists said that Ghosh’s tweet conclusively proved that journalism was dead in India, others mocked her by calling her ‘Lady Sambit Patra.’
This was after Ghosh tweeted, “Bengal can progress only when there is the same government in centre and state.” Since her tweet was not attributed to any politician, it came across as her own statement chiming the stand taken by the BJP.
Her tweet went viral clocking nearly 10,000 likes and over 2,500 shares. What compounded the confusion and earned her more ire was her decision to not delete her original tweet and share it with proper attribution. Instead, she chose to quote her misleading tweet by attributing it to Suvendu Adhikari. But her tweet simply stating ‘Says @SuvenduWB’ received just 150 plus likes.
This is how journalists and other Twitterati reacted:
RIP journalism! It’s dead. Chalo ise dafna den! ya jala den! Ab ismen se badbu aane lagi hai.
— Dilip Mandal (@Profdilipmandal) March 12, 2021
Lady Sambit Patra! https://t.co/01574579Zt
— Prashant Kanojia (@PJkanojia) March 12, 2021
The progress of following BJP ruled states since 2014 is testimony to @_pallavighosh’s assertion.
UP,Bihar,Uttarakhand,Karnataka, MP & Assam
India “blessed” to have such “honest & perceptive” journalists ? https://t.co/APHE2UsXZV
— sarah marbaniang (@sarahmarb) March 12, 2021
Oh Aunty, Nagpur Wali Aunty @_pallavighosh Yeah, Bengal Deserves the Progress that UP, Bihar, and Kashmir have got. In fact, the people of Kerala, TN, Andhra, Telangana also need the same level of development to make One India One Nation.
I mean Aunty thodi si v sharam nhi hoti! https://t.co/QYLQZC7ony— The Warrior Pro (@optimusprime689) March 12, 2021
Are you a journalist or BJP spokesperson ? https://t.co/3w9yLY3cK1
— PoRaPo | ಪೋರಪೋ (@SurfPora) March 12, 2021
Dear @narendramodi sir . Just in case you thought media is unkind , you can check out below tweets of @_pallavighosh . She is eligible for a bonus https://t.co/lKvZeETyON
— arun kumar (@arun2147) March 12, 2021
Faced with growing outrage, Ghosh tweeted several times explaining how her tweet had been misunderstood since this wasn’t her statement but the one made by former Trinamool Congress leader, now with the BJP, Suvendu Adhikari.
Last week, Twitterati have exploded in anger after another representative from the Mukesh Ambani-owned TV channel had shared a new poster of the BJP declaring Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘dada’ ahead of the crucial assembly polls in the state. This was after Payal Mehta from CNN-News18 took to Twitter to share PM Modi’s image with the hashtag #BattleForBengal.