Arnab Goswami with Samyabrata Ray Goswami (Image source: Free Press Journal)
Republic TV chief says the step is meant to counter ‘vilification by detractors’
MUMBAI:
Stating that he and his family are publicly declaring all personal financial details since 2004 and calling on his ‘detractors’ to follow suit, Arnab Goswami has in a press note alleged that a series of canards, defamatory comments and slander has been spread about him and the Republic Media Network, including an alleged statement extracted under duress in police custody from Partho Dasgupta (ex-BARC CEO).
The following is the substance of the press note put out by Mr Goswami:
“Mrs Samrajini Dasgupta, Partho Dasgupta’s wife, has made multiple public statements that he was physically tortured to falsely implicate Mr Arnab Goswami. It has been stated by his wife that Mr Partho Dasgupta was assaulted in custody and told, “This will not be over till you name Arnab Goswami.” These statements, which prove the illegal methods being used to somehow implicate a journalist for taking on the establishment, are available in the public domain and any rational mind can see through the brazenness of the conspiracy.
#ArnabDeclaresIncome | Arnab: Enough vilification and lies, I am declaring every Rupee I have earned and spent. Let my detractors follow my example and do the same pic.twitter.com/FQ5h244t0K
— Republic (@republic) January 25, 2021
“Essentially, this is an attempt through ‘leaks’ to question Mr Goswami’s integrity, which is beyond question, and try through underhand means to besmirch him because the allegations made on October 8, 2020 have begun to crumble.
‘Details for CBI & ED’
“Therefore, Editor-in-Chief Mr Arnab Goswami and his wife and Senior Executive Editor of the Republic Media Network Mrs Samyabrata Ray Goswami are going to publicly declare all their income, salaries, expenditures, loans, insurance policies, educational expenses, medical expenses, and their entire bank accounts since 2004, when they moved to Mumbai. They will be putting all their personal financial details in a document and publicly handing it over to the CBI, the ED and, should the Mumbai Police be interested, to them as well. Along with this, they will be disclosing all details of their taxes paid, mortgage payments on their home, and all EMI details to the agencies as well. This is the first time that a media professional and a public personality is disclosing every single rupee of their financial transactions — that too of the last 16 years. Mr Arnab Goswami and Mrs Samyabrata Ray Goswami will not have their spotless integrity questioned by motivated corporate-political lobbies that dare to cast aspersions on them.
“Spin-doctoring and false attribution of statements made by third parties to Mr Arnab Goswami has become the norm in a section of the media of late. This attempt at trying to create prejudice is deeply conspiratorial, especially since Mr Arnab Goswami has not made any of the statements which are being attributed to him by political parties and sections of the media opposed to Republic. Further, by disseminating this fake news through troll armies, fake screenshots and false attribution, it has become evident that this deep conspiracy needs to be thoroughly exposed.
“Mr Arnab Goswami hopes that now that he and Mrs Samyabrata Ray Goswami are declaring every rupee earned and spent since 2004, owners and editors of other media networks who have cast aspersions on him will do the same this week. Mr Goswami is doing so to set a precedent, for the Indian media, media owners, Editors and people in public life.
“Any single attempt to slander Mr Goswami will be met with a direct legal response.”
The press note ends with “Satyamev Jayate!, Bharat Mata ki Jai!, Jai Hind!”
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