‘We’re Coming Back In Two Months’: Arnab Goswami

Addressing an audience at an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s Ladies Organisation (Ficci Flo) on February 21 in Chennai, former Times Now Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami launched a blistering attack on his favourite punching bag — Lutyens’ Delhi journalists.

Goswami began his speech by stating how he had missed all the primetime action. “Every night I missed you…during Jalikattu I missed you, when Jayalalithaa passed away I missed you, when some anchors were trying to be politically correct, I missed you…,” he said.

Goswami stated that he would be back on television screens in two months. He was invited to talk on the topic, “How tolerant are we?”. In his trademark style, Goswami took the occasion to go after “Lutyens’ Delhi journalists”, who he also called “Gymkhana journalists”. (The Delhi Gymkhana is a club in the capital where the city’s elite spend their time.) “There is no place in the world which has compromised journalism as much as Lutyens’ Delhi,” he said adding that he wanted to “de-Lutyenise journalism”. Goswami also declared a war of sorts on newspapers in Delhi – “I will destroy the very decrepit institutions of print journalism that have existed in Delhi.”

He touched on his favourite rallying points, like the Indian Army, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Yakub Memon and Kashmir. Goswami also hinted at what one may expect from his new venture, Republic, which is pretty much the same as his positions on The Newshour. He said he would stand up for the Uniform Civil Code, the national anthem, Indian Army and LGBT rights.