The controversy surrounding scholar Partha Chatterjee’s article in The Wire, comparing current Army Chief Bipin Rawat to the infamous General Dyer, has not yet left newsroom debates.
Leading some of these debates is Arnab Goswami’s latest venture, Republic TV, with the tag #DyreWire. The enthusiastic members of the panel on Republic TV, however, didn’t happen to include Prasenjit Bose, political activist, economist and a frequent author on The Wire as well.
While the panel didn’t include several others, Bose’s absence was deliberate. In a post, shared widely on Facebook, Bose wrote that Goswami’s team had contacted him to join the debate, despite repeated denials of invitations on his part.
I was flummoxed to receive yet another call from the Republic TV yesterday at 7:15 pm, inviting me to participate in your show, this time on “General Dyer” #DyreWire . I had brushed it aside as yet another manifestation of your shamelessness – getting your helpless employees to call me every other evening, even after I have unequivocally communicated (both privately and publicly) that I would never participate in your lurid théâtre de l’absurde, since it lacks even a semblance of media integrity.
On finding out the issue of the debate (#DyreWire), however, Bose chose to use strong words to condemn Goswami.
Let me inform you that I have read the article in question penned by Prof Partha Chatterjee and very much agree with the essence of his argument. Rabindranath Tagore taught us a century ago – in the thick of the freedom struggle – that any nationalism, shorn of universal human values, gets impregnated with cannibalistic instincts. Prof Chatterjee’s articulations stem from the same convictions. I am not surprised though that a person like you, who relies more on the larynx than on the cerebellum to judge and communicate, has failed to make any sense of this profound Indian wisdom.
Bose then goes on to throw an open challenge to Goswami, inviting him to an open debate on a topic of his choosing. The condition, however, is that Goswami should debate with him as a panelist and not as an anchor.
I am inviting you for an open debate, at a time and place of your choosing, on any issue ...Only on one condition – you have to debate with me as a fellow panelist, not as an anchor. We can mutually decide on the moderator of that debate. Do you have it within you to accept this invite? Please call me next time if you do.
Goswami is yet to respond to Bose. Whether he accepts the invite or not, remains to be seen.
You can read Bose’s full post here:
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