CLAIM
A letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, purportedly written by Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV, is viral on social media.
The letter begins with the line "Dear Prime Minister, we don't deserve a person like you." It then goes on to say that despite working for over 16 hours a day, he (PM Modi) would still be blamed for the smallest of issues.
The letter has been widely shared on Facebook, especially after the BJP faced defeat in five states on 11 December.
TRUE OR FALSE?
While the authenticity of the letter could not be ascertained, it is certainly not written by Arnab Goswami. In fact, when The Quint reached out to Goswami, he denied any knowledge of such a letter.
HOW DO WE KNOW?
For starters, the letter has been viral since at least December 2015, as seen in the following post.
However, Republic TV was set up only in 2017. Hence, the author of this letter is certainly not “Arnab Goswami of Republic TV.”
Now, let us examine the contents of the letter. One big giveaway is the fact that the letter talks about the Bihar elections, which were held in November 2015. Should one have written the letter now, he/she would have certainly taken a more recent example, such as the Karnataka elections to signify the BJP's defeat.
LETTER RESURFACES INTERMITTENTLY
The letter also appears to resurface on the internet, mostly before a state election.
For example, after December 2015, the letter seems to have made an appearance again in February-March 2016.
In fact, this is when it was picked by Shankh Naad on Facebook, and the post garnered over 1 lakh shares.
It must be noted that this was right before the state elections in Assam, Tamil Nadu West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry.
Similarly, before the Karnataka state elections in May this year, the letter had again made a reappearance.
Now this time around, the letter seems to have made a comeback following the BJP's loss in the five states – namely Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram – as a morale booster for the party supporters.
(Not convinced of a story you came across on social media and want it verified? Send us the details at WebQoof@TheQuint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)