Social media platforms are awash with snippets from an old video when villagers in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur chased away India Today journalist Rajdeep Sardesai over an allegedly planted interview.
In the video, which is from 2018, Sardesai visits Mandsaur 18 months after it witnessed violence during the agitation organised by farmers in June 2017 to report on the aftermath of the violent clashes and to ascertain if the government had addressed the ‘grievances’ raised by the victims.
Shitdeep ko gpl maar ke bhagaaya gaon waalon ne 🔥😂pic.twitter.com/BEEoMSu8cY
— Sameer (@BesuraTaansane) August 6, 2022
The snippet of the video that is doing the rounds on the internet shows Rajdeep Sardesai asking an alleged victim if he has received compensation from the government, to which the respondent replies in the negative, sparking anger from the gathered people who shout he has been given Rs 1 crore as compensation by the MP government.
The clip is from Sardesai’s Mandsaur visit in November 2017, the complete video of which was uploaded on India Today’s official YouTube channel on 5 November 2017. At 30 minutes into the video, Sardesai is seen claiming that the moment the villagers heard an Aaj-Tak, India Today team is in the village, a virtual panchayat had gathered.
Sardesai then goes on to talk to one of the alleged victims of the Mandsaur violence, who the India Today journalist claimed had lost his 17-year-old son in the clashes that broke out months ago. When Sardesai asks him if he has received any kind of help or compensation from the state government, the man says he has not received anything from the administration.
However, the man’s response sparks outrage among the village residents who had gathered on the occasion. Many of them angrily rebut the man’s claim, shouting at the top of their voices that he has received Rs 1 crore as compensation from the government. When Sardesai tries to ask a leading question to the alleged victim, the crowd goes berserk, encircling him and chasing him out of the place, all of which is captured in the video uploaded on India Today’s YouTube channel.
Report published in India Today said kin of Mandsaur victims were give Rs 1 crore ex-gratia
It is worth noting while the victim said he did not receive compensation from the government, a report published in India Today, Rajdeep Sardesai’s organisation, had reported in the aftermath of the Mandsaur violence that CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had met with the kin of the deceased and handed over Rs 1 crore each to them. Chouhan and his wife had reached Mandsaur on a special plane and first went to Badwan village to meet the relatives of Ghanshyam Dhakad and other farmers killed during the firing.
A farmers’ agitation demanding loan waivers and higher crop prices in Mandsaur took an ugly turn after protesters torched vehicles, targeted police stations and attacked government officials, following which five farmers were killed in police firing.
Even as Rajdeep Sardesai has to face embarrassment over his interview with one of the Mandsaur victims who seemingly lied about the compensation he had received from the government, this is not the first time that the India Today journalist had egg on his face.
Sunil Gavaskar shuts up Rajdeep Sardesai on Live TV
On December 14, 2021, during a debate on India Today where former Indian Captain Sunil Gavaskar was a panellist, he told Rajdeep it would not matter if Sardesai would not agree with him as he would not lose sleep over it. The debate was about the alleged rift between cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, that has been making rounds the whole day.
Sunny Gavaskar did to Sardardkasai @sardesairajdeep what Mukesh Ambani did to him few years back. Told him none takes him seriously pic.twitter.com/0ASYLdsyI8
— iMac_too (@iMac_too) December 14, 2021
Towards the end of the debate, when anchor Rahul Kanwal asked Gavaskar what would he suggest to Jay Shah and Saurav Ganguly about handling the situation, he said it would be better if they both ignored it. He added that it could be just a rumour as there has been no official word over this by anyone. Both players have not said anything about it. Therefore, it would be better not to answer any controversy.
In his reply, Sardesai said that he did not agree with him. Gavaskar, with an ear-to-ear grin on his face, said, “Rajdeep if you don’t agree with me, it doesn’t matter. I won’t lose sleep over it.” Humiliated, yet again on Live TV, Rajdeep could not do anything but laugh over it.
Shehzad Poonawalla gives a befitting response to Rajdeep Sardesai over question on former CM Devendra Fadnavis becoming Deputy CM
Recently, during a news debate on Devendra Fadnavis’ appointment as Deputy Chief minister after serving as the chief minister of Maharashtra, Rajdeep Sardesai asked BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla if that would affect the former CM, to which Poonawalla reminded the India Today journalist how he was once the Editor-in-chief of CNN IBN, and now he is working as Consulting Editor of India Today, which has not affected his stature or respect.
राजदीप सरदेसाई को करारा जवाब…!#rajdeepsardesai #Shehzad_Poonawala#BJP pic.twitter.com/OST2kicGL6
— Swati Kadam (@Swatikada) July 4, 2022
Embarrassed with Shehzad’s acerbic observation, Rajdeep Sardesai was left with nothing but to acknowledge it with a sheepish smile.
‘I don’t take you seriously’, said Mukesh Ambani
In March 2017, India Today Conclave published a 6-minute interview of Rajdeep Sardesai with business tycoon Mukesh Ambani. Sardesai introduced him as the most powerful person in the country. When he asked Ambani how he felt when he introduced him the way he did, Ambani said, “I don’t believe that. I do not take you seriously.” Sardesai, humiliated by the ‘most powerful person’, could only say, “Are yeh kya baat hui (What are you saying).”
Former President Mukherjee scolded him for interrupting
In the same year, when former President Pranab Mukherjee completed his tenure, he gave an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai on the launch of his book. During the interview, Sardesai kept interrupting the former President. At first, he did not say anything but by the ninth minute, he had enough. He said, “Let me complete. You don’t have this habit. I am sorry to take you and remind you are interviewing the former President. Please have the necessary courtesy. Don’t interrupt.”
Bachchan refused to fall for his ‘trap’
In January 2016, during an interview with Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, Rajdeep questioned him about his views on the alleged intolerance in the country. Bachchan, who was clearly taken by surprise by the question as earlier it was mostly about his career, said he was not qualified to answer the question. He said, “You know Rajdeep, I don’t know how the journalists address this issue, but really I am not qualified to answer this question at all. I am the least educated as far as these issues are concerned.” When Sardesai asked him if he was being diplomatic, Bachchan said, “So you are agreeing that it is some sort of trap.”
Sardesai schooled by PM Modi
If that is not enough, he was even schooled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2007 when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. PM Modi was attending Hindustan Times Leadership Summit as a guest. Sardesai, who was interviewing him, asked if he was sorry about what had happened in 2002.
Then-CM Modi said, “A person who had got a chance to become anchor is trying to impose his propaganda while going out of the line from the topic for which I was called for in this Summit.” He questioned the organizers and asked them to decide how they wanted to move ahead with the interview.
“Ye Dalal hai, Ye Dalal hai”: Protesters heckle India Today journalist Rajdeep Sardesai
‘Journalist’ Rajdeep Sardesai had to face a massive embarrassment after protestors confronted him and referred to him as a ‘Dalal’ or a broker and accused him of being a part of the ‘Godi media’. In an undated video that had gone viral on social media, TV anchor Rajdeep Sardesai was seen in a heated argument with some farmer protestors, reportedly gathered in Delhi.
The term ‘Godi Media’ is widely used by pro-Congress media persons, left-wing trolls and opposition leaders against journalists and media houses who do not toe the Congress line.
Here is the video where Rajdeep Sardesai was left red-faced by the protestors, who shouted to him saying, “Ye Dalal hai. Ye Godi Media hai(he is a broker, he is Godi media)”.
