Shekhar Gupta – Miffed and Ditched

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The News Minute | June 7, 2014 | 3.05 pm IST

Contrary to popular lore, Shekhar Gupta’s departure from the Indian Express Group has been far from smooth.

Gupta, who moved to the India Today Group earlier this week, was hoping to take two of his trusted lieutenants – Raj Kamal Jha and Unni Rajen Shankar – from the Express with him. Negotiations to this effect were on for weeks. “At the last minute both Raj Kamal Jha and Unni Rajen Shankar decided to stay back in the Express Group and grow on their own,” sources told The News Minute adding that Gupta is unhappy with what he sees as a “let down” by people he mentored. That sounds like a coup.

A mail sent by Chairman of the Express Group Viveck Goenka to staffers said, “Raj will be Chief Editor and will report to me. Unni will be Editor.” It may be recalled that talk of Gupta leaving the Express group have been in the air for several months now.

On the other side, Kaveri Bamzai continues to be with the India Today Group but her brother Sandeep Bamzai has put in his papers at Mail Today which is also a part of the India Today Group. Gupta’s return to the India Today Group is also supposed to result in the exit of another television journalist from the group, who, sources said, “Shekhar cannot stand.”

And we thought only politicians were political!