Kunal Kamra-Arnab Goswami Row: Rahul Gandhi Takes Swipe at TV News Anchor, Tweets 'A Coward Using His Influence to Silent Critic'
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a dig at television news anchor Arnab Goswami. Reacting on the ban imposed by four airlines on stand-comedian Kunal Kamra after he heckled Goswami on IndiGo flight, Gandhi alleged that the TV anchor is using his influence on the government to silence his critics
New Delhi, January 29: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a dig at television news anchor Arnab Goswami. Reacting on the ban imposed by four airlines on stand-comedian Kunal Kamra after he heckled Goswami on IndiGo flight, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the TV anchor is using his influence on the government to silence his critics. In an apparent dig at Goswami, the scion of Gandhi family stated that he should have shown some spine by answering Kamra’s questions. No-Fly List: Kunal Kamra Among 'Unruly Passengers' After 'Heckling' Arnab Goswami On Board IndiGo Flight, Here Are Similar Past Incidents.
Gandhi tweeted, “The ban imposed on #kunalkamra by 4 airlines is the act of a coward leveraging his influence with the Govt to silence a critic. Those who use their "news" cameras as 24x7 tools of propaganda, should show some spine when the camera is turned on them.” Along with his tweet, he also shared a news article by Huffington Post which claimed that Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief termed the ban on Kamra as “a clear violation of rules”.
Rahul Gandhi's Tweet:
However, aviation regulator DGCA dismissed the Huffington Post’s report. As many as four airlines, including national carrier Air India, has banned Kamra from flying after the stand-up comedian shared a video allegedly heckling Goswami onboard IndiGo flight. The DGCA in a statement said, “This is to reiterate that the action taken by the airlines is in complete consonance with Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section-3, Series M Part VI on Handling of unruly passengers.”
On Tuesday, IndiGo had barred Kamra for six months from flying for allegedly portraying "unacceptable behaviour" onboard one of its flights. Following IndiGo's announcement, Air India also barred Karma from flying on any of its flights until further notice. On Wednesday, airlines SpiceJet and GoAir followed suit. Kamra on Tuesday, shared a video, where he was seen provoking Goswami by questioning his brand of journalism.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 29, 2020 09:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).