Indian opposition demands inquiry into TV anchor Goswami's leaked messages

(Karachi) Opposition parties in India demanded an investigation into the chat messages from TV anchor Arnab Goswami which they say showed prior knowledge of air strikes carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government against Pakistan in 2019, local media reported.

As per details, Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV network, told the head of a TV ratings agency that India would launch a “bigger than a normal strike” on its arch-rival Pakistan- three days before Indian combat jets struck alleged militant targets on Pakistani soil.

India’s leading opposition Congress party, as well as Shiv Sena, a regional party that governs Maharashtra state, have both called for a government inquiry into the messages.

Shashi Tharoor, a Congress lawmaker, said the messages required “serious inquiry” by the Modi government.

The call for inquiry by Indian opposition comes in wake of the leaked WhatsApp messages of Indian anchor Arnab Goswami over the Pulwama attack and other Indian-orchestrated incidents against Pakistan.

The screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation between the arrested former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO Partho Dasgupta which had been making rounds on social media, Indian Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami had prior information about the 2019 Balakot airstrike and the revocation of Article 370, which stripped off the special status granted to Illegally Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The WhatsApp chats running over 1000 pages are part of the 3600-page supplementary charge sheet that the Mumbai police filed earlier this week.

The messages discuss the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019, in which 40 soldiers were killed, with Goswami rejoicing and writing to Dasgupta how the attack has helped his channel. 'This attack we have won like crazy,' he wrote to Dasgupta.

Another chat also reveals that Goswami knew about the Balakot airstrike, which was carried out by Indian warplanes early on February 26, 2019. The message dated February 23, shows Goswami telling Dasgupta how 'something big' is soon going to happen.

When Dasgupta asks if it is 'Dawood', Goswami replies, "No sir Pakistan. Something major will be done this time." Dasgupta replies how it is 'good for big man in this season' and 'he will sweep polls then'.

When Dasgupta inquires if it will be a strike or something bigger, Goswami writes, "Bigger than a normal strike. And also on the same time something major on Kashmir. On Pakistan the government is confident of striking in a way that people will be elated. Exact words used."