On 19th May 2023, Congress supporter Ramchandra Guha was interviewed by Arfa Khanum Sherwani of ‘The Wire’ about the results of the recently held Karnataka assembly elections. In this interview, Ramchandra Guha called out ‘The Wire’ and its propagandist Arfa Khanum Sherwani. Self-styled historian Ramchandra Guha said that ‘The Wire’ supports Rahul Gandhi and Arfa Khanum Sherwani is a pro-Rahul Gandhi journalist, insinuating, that she too is ‘Godi media’ – a pejorative term that the Left media uses for media outlets that don’t, in totality, follow their ideological and political leanings.
The ‘liberal’ and Left journalists and media portals often use the term ‘Godi media’ to insinuate that those who don’t toe their ideological and political line are metaphorically sitting on PM Modi’s lap, which is to say, they are doing his bidding. Interestingly, Ramchandra Guha in his interview revealed who the real Godi Media is and that they are actually doing the bidding not for PM Modi but Rahul Gandhi.
Congressi exposing another Congressi
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) May 19, 2023
Ram Guha literally tells @khanumarfa that how she acts as Godi Media of Rahul Gandhi.
pic.twitter.com/0sXD2vpz68
Ramchandra Guha said, “You are partial to Rahul Gandhi. It is fine. Everyone is partial to people. But I don’t live in Delhi. I live in Bengaluru which is away from Delhi. There can be so many reasons behind this (being partial to Rahul Gandhi). Like he is a gentleman. He is soft-spoken at least softer than the ones on the other side. But the fact remains that you are partial to Rahul Gandhi. Journalists in Delhi are like that only. Even in your recent interview with Yashvant Sinha, you were asking him about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. There was not a single thing about DK Shivakumar and Siddharmaiah. If we want that the opposition should unite, then you are putting it at a loss by projecting Rahul Gandhi as an alternative to Modi. And it has a reason. Rahul Gandhi may have come up with Bharat Jodo Yatra, but he is yet to answer one question that comes to people’s minds when he is compared to Narendra Modi. And the question is ‘What is his CV? What prior experience he has?’ Has he worked as a minister? Or as a chief minister?”
He further added, “Look at Bengal, Mamata Banerjee of TMc is a chief minister for so many years. Sharad Pawar has been an important minister in the centre for years and he has also been the chief minister of Maharashtra. Nitish Kumar is working as a chief minister for so many years. The point is, rather than making Rahul Gandhi an alternative, the opposition and Congress should focus on policies.”
Ramchandra Guha said this when he was asked about how he looked at the way ahead to fight RSS, BJP, Amit Shah, and Narendra Modi whom Arfa Khanum Sherwani together called ‘communal forces’. While asking the question, she essentially praised Rahul Gandhi for the way has transformed during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Sherwani explained how closely she has seen Rahul Gandhi and how she has noticed common Congress workers and people in the country looking at Rahul Gandhi as the last hope to save secularism in this country.
In her sugarcoated narration, Arfa Khanum Sherwani underlined that she is not pro or against Rahul Gandhi but looking at him neutrally as a potential alternative national leader because he comes from the central mainstream of the opposition. It was at this point when Ramchandra Guha blasted her saying that you are partial to Rahul Gandhi. In simple words, Ramchandra Guha called The Wire and Arfa Khanum Sherwani to be the Godi media of Rahul Gandhi. He also said that the traditional media in Delhi is like this only. As he was completing this sentence, Arfa Khanum Sherwani cleverly interrupted him.
This is not the first time that a liberal propagandist journalist is called out for being biased toward Rahul Gandhi. In fact, Rahul Gandhi himself had suggested in one of the recent press conferences that Rajdeep Sardesai is his unofficial spokesperson.
