After more than 26 years of service with New Delhi Television (NDTV), the country’s oldest private broadcaster, Ravish Kumar, announced his resignation. The decision, in late November, came abruptly after the third richest man in the world, Gautam Adani, became the majority shareholder in the company.
The reason Kumar’s departure stands out differently is mainly for his reputation as a fearless journalist and his style of asking hard-hitting questions and challenging those in power. Recently he criticized other news outlets for promoting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and also questioning the interfaith conflict created between Muslims and Hindus.
It is important to note that Adani and Modi are close. In fact, Adani’s wealth has increased from $7 billion to $110 billion since Modi took office (in 2014).
NDTV will continue to be independent and criticise the government when it acts unfairly, according to Adani. However, the fact that these very platforms that supported free speech are now run by a small business elite group makes them less free and impractical.
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https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/1/6/big-money-is-choking-indias-free-press
