Farmers Movement Archive

Opposition may seek JPC probe into ‘leak’ of military secrets to Arnab Goswami

NEW DELHI: Congress-led opposition is likely to turn the heat on the government over the Arnab Goswami WhatsApp chats issue in the coming budget session of Parliament by demanding a time-bound Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the alleged leak of military secrets. While the budget sessions was always going to be a stormy affair with the joint opposition planning to corner the government over the farm laws and India’s coronavirus management strategy, Mumbai Police’s sensational revelations last week, pertaining to WhatsApp conversations between Arnab and former BARC chief Partho Dasgupta, have added a new flashpoint between the opposition and treasury benches. Read AlsoCongress netas march to Republic TV office, seek Arnab’s arrestMUMBAI: Congress activists led by Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap and cabinet members Aslam Shaikh and Varsha Gaikwad marched to the office of Republic TV on Friday to demand the immediate arrest of its editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami for “mischief and fraud”. Jagtap said it was high timeCongress’ line of attack has already been sketched by party president Sonia Gandhi, who has the support of NCP and Shiv Sena, apart from Trinamool Congress and the Left parties — CPM and CPI — both of whom have already demanded that the government come clean on the matter. Read AlsoMaharashtra probing Arnab’s sensitive Balakot chatMUMBAI: Even as the NCP joined Congress on Monday to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the purported WhatsApp chats between Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami and former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta which raised questions whether Goswami was privy to India’s Balakot air strikes in advance,At the CWC meeting, while Sonia called the government’s silence “deafening”, she also said, “Those who give certificates of patriotism and nationalism to others now stand totally exposed.” Read AlsoTRP scam: Prashant Bhushan shares screenshots of WhatsApp chat between Arnab Goswami and ex-BARC CEOAdvocate Prashant Bhushan on Friday shared screenshots of purported leaked WhatsApp converstaions between Republic TV executive editor Arnab Goswami and Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) who is an accused in the TRP scam case.Congress has already fielded a raft of party veterans, part of UPA’s cabinet committee on security, to highlight the seriousness of the issues revealed in the WhatsApp conversations. Former defence minister AK Antony had asserted that the leak of sensitive military operations, as shown in the WhatsApp chats, was an “act of treason” that “deserved no mercy”. Read AlsoArnab’s channel gained ‘illegal’ access to DD FreeDish users without paying govtSince its launch in May 2017, Arnab Goswami owned news channel Republic TV had gained ‘illegal’ access to an additional 22 million users of a Prasar Bharati-owned direct-to-home (DTH) service, DD FreeDish, without paying the government for it.The Congress Working Committee, of which Antony is a part, also passed a resolution expressing “grave concern” over the “sordid conversations that have undoubtedly compromised national security”, and the PM and government’s silence in the hope that the “storm will pass”. “Their silence underlines their collusion, complicity and guilt… The CWC demands a time-bound investigation by a JPC to enquire into the breach of national security, violations of the Official Secrets Act and the role of the persons involved. Ultimately, those who are guilty of treasonous behaviour must be brought before the law and punished,” the resolution said. Read AlsoTRP scam: Shock, outrage on social media over Arnab Goswami and ex-BARC CEO's WhatsApp chatsNEW DELHI: The leaked WhatsApp conversations between Republic TV executive editor Arnab Goswami and former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) Partho Dasgupta has brought to the fore evidence of alleged collusion to influence TV ratings. The purported WhatsApp conversations between the

The Times of India

2021-01-24

India