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Dubai: Controversial Indian TV anchor, Arnab Goswami is facing Twitter fury after he called Keralites ‘shameless’. He made the remark in a TV debate while discussing a controversy in India, about the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government blocking foreign aid destined for the flood-hit state of Kerala.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs had said on Thursday that it would not accept money from foreign governments to be channelled to relief work in the state. This angered many Malayalis.

According to many news reports, countries such as the UAE, Thailand, Maldives had expressed an interest in contributing to help with the relief and reconstruction efforts in the flood-ravaged state.

Also read: Arnab Goswami: To be heard, you need to shout

In the introduction to the debate, Goswami called people who are criticising the Indian government in this regard, ‘anti-national’, ‘paid agents’ and ‘shameless’.

A video uploaded on social media channels showed him saying: “What a shame, what a conspiracy, what a cheap act. How anti-national can you get? How much hate, how much malice... But most of all, let me tell you... This group is shameless, it is the most shameless bunch of Indians I have ever seen.”


The video has drawn angry comments from Keralites on Facebook and Twitter. Many said he had failed as a journalist for making insensitive statements especially at a time when Keralites were struggling to rebuild the state.

Twitter user @VarugheseSteffi posted: “So disappointed with certain journalists of India. Ashamed of you for your pathetic and biased journalism. #ArnabGoswami watch your words. They can’t be taken back. India is listening.”


@Jerin_Jackson tweeted: “#Arnabgoswami you think you are doing journalism? Well, all we see is... yelling, shouting and screaming about everything and anything, nonsensically. Do you really think if you scream about anything that makes you right?”

And, tweep @akhilharidasan added: “#ArnabGoswami is the worst and shameless media person I ever seen. He is a just an unofficial spokesperson of BJP-RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)... majority of people in India do not believe you and your @republic.”


Many though that Goswami needed to apologise to Keralites.

Twitter user @shamonplm wrote: “Proud to say I am one of those shameless bunch of Indians and I demand apology from #ArnabGoswami and his channel.”


And @bacwaters wrote: “Arnab Goswami, you are not entitled to have an opinion on Kerala and Malayalis. It is the most literate state in India and heads the human development index. One needs to be erudite and sensible to opine on Malayalis!”


@Georgthomas1947 like many others thought that the channel should be boycotted. He posted: “Arnab Goswami has just called the suffering people of Kerala ‘the most shameless bunch of Indians I have ever seen’. Those who empathise with the Malayalis and appreciate their indomitable spirit should boycott this motor mouth and his piper who alas is a Malayalee. #KeralaFloods”


Goswami is the managing director of the Indian news channel Republic TV which he cofounded along with Rajeev Chandrasekhar who is also a Malayali.

However, some have said that Goswami’s comment was taken out of context and his comment was only for those who were spreading “fake news” about other countries sending financial aid to India and the centre refusing the aid. Many said his comments about the psychological resilience of Keralites was being ignored.

Tweep @pradip103 posted: “Lie: Arnab Goswami insulted people of Kerala by calling them shameless. Handle spreading falsehood: @Advaidism.

Truth: ‘People of Kerala have been physically vulnerable and psychologically resilient. They have shown how great they have been as people.’ #KeralaFloods #Kerala”

 

Why India doesn’t accept aid from foreign governments

India has refused to accept foreign aid for disasters since 2004, when a tsunami killed more than 10,000 people on its southeast coast.

The government founded the Federal Emergency Management Agency in response to the incident, and vowed to clean things up on its own.

India has remained steadfast in refusing foreign aid ever since — even after disastrous flooding killed more than 5,000 people in the northern state of Uttarakhand in 2013.

India’s National Disaster Management Plan, which was published in 2016 under Modi’s government, states that the government “does not issue any appeal for foreign assistance in the wake of a disaster”.