Barkha Dutt’s tirade against NDTV: Questions Roys, denies role in Reliance loan

Drawing attention to a Rs. 400-cr loan given to NDTV by Reliance, she stated that while she was hauled over the coals for her conversations with Radia, the NDTV leadership was not questioned.

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Following criticism from her colleagues for publishing a controversial post against NDTV on October 18, stating that axing stories was nothing new for her former employer, Barkha Dutt has now launched an all-out attack on NDTV, it’s senior leadership and her former colleagues.

In a lengthy post on her Facebook page on Monday afternoon, Barkha took pot shots at Sreenivasan Jain, stating that that when her stories were being axed in NDTV, she fought ferociously internally and chose to quit rather than doing what Jain did - which she characterised as “dissent in public, embarrass the organization, claim the high moral ground and yet conveniently stay on”.

NDTV had recently pulled down a story by Jain on Amit Shah’s son Jay’s business dealings, and Jain had publicly aired his disappointment with NDTV for doing so, but chose to stay in the organisation calling it an ‘aberration’. Barkha had called it hypocritical.

She did not however stop with her thinly veiled attack on Jain, and also launched a tirade against NDTV over the issue of Reliance Industries giving a Rs. 403.85 crore loan to NDTV, and denied that she had any role in it.

Two media reports, one by Newslaundry and another by Caravan, have suggested that the loan was indirectly given out by Reliance to save NDTV from its dire straits. The Newslaundry report by Arunabh Saikia had even quoted a portion of the Income Tax Department's written submission to the Delhi High Court to substantiate the veracity of the dealings.

In her Facebook post on Monday, Barkha claimed said that she was unaware of the dealing until it was published in the media.

“The Caravan story on NDTV sought to credit / blame me for this loan when I argued that all I spoke to her about was a news story and I gained nothing more than information. Caravan was wrong:.I knew nothing about that loan till much much later when news media reported it. And since I have never held a management position or a financial one ever, even while being a full-time employee, I was never going to be made part of any such negotiation. So when we speak of the Radia issue, let's also examine her role in the financial help she speaks of offering NDTV owners. Haven't heard much debate on that have we? I wonder why,” (sic) she said.

She also mocked her former employers for their “hypocrisy of ranting at the Press Club as Anti - Establishment crusaders while desperately seeking help of the BJP ministers and party leaders privately” (sic)

“They don't stand at Press Club and saw Don't Crawl while seeking appointments with BJP head honchos by night. This has not been denied by NDTV simply because there are enough witnesses to these meetings and phone calls and they can't deny them. I am not suggesting any help was offered - the best I know , pleas for help have been soundly rejected. But what's important is the help was sought while the public pretence carried on,” (sic) she said.

She said, “Other places are much worse say some:; NDTV tries more than others : SURE. I am adult enough to know that stories are killed in many newsrooms. I am also adult enough to know that in times of existential crisis we would all reach out for help - to govt or to whoever could offer it. The difference is others don't pretend; they don't act morally superior and smug and above everyone else.” (sic)