‘Aage Se Right’ – Deepak Chaurasia starts a new innings with stale tricks

You’ve seen him reach for the moon on News Nation – quite literally – dressed as an astronaut. You’ve seen him ask scintillating questions to PM Narendra Modi, such as whether he keeps a ‘batuwa’ or a purse. And, of course, you remember the true ‘high point’ of his TV career, when he spoke on live TV on the tragic death of General Bipin Rawat.

Yes, we’re talking about Deepak Chaurasia, who confusingly referred to the deceased General as VP Singh, the late Congress veteran and eighth prime minister of the country.

Chaurasia has now decided to launch a digital venture shockingly called “Aage Se Right”. Right Turn From Ahead. This, after a fairly insipid innings at Zee News. 

As is the norm with all “star TV anchors” who want to make their presence felt, Chaurasia thought it apt to launch his new career on YouTube with the old trick of  slamming the Congress, with a jibe on “Tukde Tukde Gang posterboy” Kanhaiya Kumar.

Chaurasia, however, is probably the first prominent mainstream pro-Modi television news professional who has had to make a shift from TV to YouTube. There’s enough space for the likes of him on television. But acche din? Not for everyone, it seems.

“Congress has been a party with an ideology between right and left. But now it is being accused of not only including the ideology of the left but also their leaders. To understand my analysis and correct ideology on these issues, join my website #AageSeRight which will be launched on April 17 i.e. #Ramnavami,” he wrote on X.

While the reason behind Chaurasia’s Zee exit isn’t clear, Newslaundry earlier reported on a string of resignations and sackings at the network over a financial crunch. 

The anchor, who left News Nation amid controversial circumstances in 2021, was earlier expected to return to the television screen with a primetime show on Bharat Express.

However, an email sent to Zee News staff by the channel’s HR department in January announced his entry as a consulting editor and anchor.

Chaurasia, who has previously worked with Aaj Tak, ABP News and India News in a nearly three-decade career, had joined News Nation in 2019 and left in December 2021, shortly after anchoring a show in a purportedly inebriated state. He was the TV channel’s consulting editor at the time.

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