Yesterday, around 49 celebrities across all platforms in the likes of Bollywood, theatres, historians and artists wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi, claiming intolerance in the country under the BJP regime.
In a live TV confrontation today, Republic TV’s editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami ‘haked’ into the press conference to pose questions at these lobbyists who alleged the rise of hate crimes across the country.
#ArnabExposesLobby | Lobby refuses to answer on LIVE TV as Arnab Goswami confronts them with over 10 questions
Watch LIVE here – https://t.co/LGCyJUEBn5 pic.twitter.com/KFSUDgmpCg
— Republic (@republic) July 24, 2019
When Aparna Sen was addressing a press conference and answering questions of reporters present their, Arnab Goswami started asking her questions from Republic studios over phone. A reporter from Republic TV was also present at the venue, and apparently, Arnab’s telephonic questions were blasted via loudspeaker during the press conference.
Ironically, the filmmaker, Aparna Sen, who was very much an integral part of this particular lobby of celebrities creating an unnecessary brouhaha and indulging in fearmongering over intolerance in the country under BJP’s governance, not only evaded the questions posed to her but looked visibly irked as Arnab shot a series of questions at her.
Some questions Arnab Goswami asked the filmmaker:
- Why were you silent when Muslim fanatics were attacking Zaira Wasim?
- Where were you when Ayub Pandith was being lynched?
- Where were you when Muslim clerics asked minorities to pick up arms?
- Why are you selective about raising your voice?
- When Congress govt charge-sheeted Pehlu Khan where were you?
- When Mamata Banerjee arrested a girl Priyanka Sharma on the meme, where were you?
- Where were you when a man was attacked for saying Jai Shri Ram?
- Where were you when 7-year-old was attacked for chanting Jai Shri Ram?
- Where were you when the temple was attacked in Delhi?
- Jignesh Mevani said there should be armed-conflict, where were you then?
- Did you speak on Kashmiri Pandits and victims of terrorism in Kashmir?
- Where were you when critics of Kumaraswamy was arrested in Karnataka?
In response, Sen, as expected, not only eluded every single question but also made hand gestures and simmered at the editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami.
She was seen saying, “Hi Arnab, you have started your whatabouteries, I am not going to answer any of your whatabouteries. Please address the issue. You are not going to succeed in shouting, I’m done. I refuse to answer”.
#ArnabExposesLobby I Silent on Zaira Wasim and Ayub Pandith, is lobby being selective again? Tune in as Arnab Goswami confronts Aparna Sen, one of the signatories to open letter to PM Modi
Watch LIVE here – https://t.co/Ar5oNWEpM1 pic.twitter.com/EibUxjQsVH
— Republic (@republic) July 24, 2019
Though Arnab stood firm, trying to expose the hypocrisy of these so-called intellectuals, Aparna Sen chose to evade the questions by saying things like “I don’t want to dignify questions like this with an answer, it is so ridiculous”. She furthered that “people have become so politicised these days, so polarised these days that they can’t understand simple humanitarian concerns”.
Meanwhile, in the letter dated to 23rd July 2019, 49 celebrities, including filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Konkana Sen Sharma, Mani Ratnam, Aparna Sen and many others, wrote to PM Narendra Modi, stating that they are ‘deeply concerned’ about a number of tragic events that have been happening in the country in recent times. The letter said claimed that ‘Jai Shri Ram is now a provocative ‘War-cry’. One of the signatories to the letter is a convicted Naxalite, Binayak Sen.
Explaining their stance further, the letter claims that the lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately and that they were ‘shocked’ to learn that there have been no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016 and that there has been a definite decline in the percentage of convictions.
Claiming that there is no democracy without dissent, the celebrities expressed that no certain individual should be branded as ‘anti-national’ or ‘Urban Naxal’ because of the dissent against the government.
While speaking to Republic TV, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap confirmed the authenticity of the letter and stated that it was ‘self-explanatory’.
