Maharashtra's Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat and Energy Minister Nitin Raut will lodge complaints in individual capacity against Republic TV's Arnab Goswami after Goswami accused Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi of being silent on the mob lynching incident which took place in Maharashtra's Palghar on the night of April 16. Thorat will file a complaint in Mumbai and Raut will file a complaint in Nagpur.
"Couple of media houses are always ready to spread hate and divided the society by their TV channels. They tried to communalise Palgarh lynching. Now Arnab made derogatory remarks against Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji and blame her for the lynching. It's shameful #ArrestAntiIndiaArnab," wrote Nitin Raut.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has also slammed Republic TV's Arnab Goswami. "Attack on mrs Sonia Gandhi by Arnab Goswami is highly condemnable. He has gone insane and crossed all limits, he should be ashamed of himself . I must ask the Editors guild - isn’t this all time low for journalism?" he wrote.
Earlier, in a TV debate, Goswami said that Sonia Gandhi would not have remained silent if Christian padres would have been the victims. He said, "I would like to ask the country, would the country had remained silent if Maulvis or Christian Padres would have been targeted the way Hindu saints were? Would Italy’s Antonia Maino (Sonia Gandhi) have remained silent then? I would like to tell you, if the victims had been Christian padres, Sonia Gandhi, who had come from Rome, would not have remained silent on the issue."
He added that 80 per cent population in India is Hindu and believes in Sanathan Dharam, but now it has become a sin to wear saffron (mostly wore by saints).
