All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) has written to Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani, appealing to immediately stop the anti-Muslim hatred propagated through “News18India” channel owned by his company.
AIMMM president Navaid Hamid in the letter sent to Mukesh Ambani on Thursday, mentioned that the character of the hate debates on his channel News18 under the title “Desh Nahi Jhukne Denge” equal to a genocide drive against the Muslim community.
“Also, the character of hate debates the channel runs, if scrutinized, cannot escape the scrutiny of “anti-genocide campaign,” he said.
“These are not normal debates with political, cultural, or social connotations but sadly are blended in poisonous anti-Muslim agenda.”
The Mushawarat Chief warned that the debate would lead to “major communal flare-up, social distrust between communities leading to a volatile crisis and undoubtedly, destroy the fabric of peace and tranquility of our motherland” unless Ambani took some immediate corrective steps.
“The debate shows on the News18India are openly crossing all limits of an impartial journalism, violating journalistic ethics,” Hamid said adding that they are, indeed, full of distortions, prejudices, and ill-will against the Muslim community per se.”
Pointing out that the debate on Reliance industries owner’s News18 was “malicious and vicious” and full of “false and misleading” narratives, the Muslim leader said that these were “aimed to create an atmosphere of hatred against Muslims.”
Although social media were abuzz, claiming that “the hate campaigns on News18India are telecast keeping the financial interests in mind, apart from pushing the political agenda of the ruling party because your channel had received maximum money from the UP Information Department,” however, Hamid, said that he did not believe in social media claims about Reliance industries.
In the letter, AIMMM Chief also advised Ambani not to allow the “filth” being spread through his channel as it would bring global disrepute to his company and lead to a “volatile confrontation between communities.”
Talking to THG, Hamid said that the Ambani’s are very gentle people and there’s no history them regarding discrimination. “We’ve never heard about any bigotry from them. Unfortunately, we don’t know how much Mr. Ambani is aware about running of this debate on News18 channel because corporate houses acquire shares or own TV channels, but they usually give a free hand to their media houses.”
“Whatever is being propagated through their channel has a deep connection with the politics of bigotry. The anchor of the show is not less than Yati Narsinghanad, who had given calls for Muslim genocide,” he added.
Intellectual terrorism is being propagated through News18, the Mushawarat President said adding, “Whenever you see a TV terrorism, it’s more harmful than the physical terrorism. It pollutes minds of the young people and whoever watch that.”
“It all comes under the scrutiny of anti-genocide campaign. If you know the history of genocide or anywhere, media has played an important role. After 15 or 20 years people would judge why Mr. Ambani was silent over the things going on in one of his own news channel. That’s why I felt to write directly to him,” Navaid Hamid told THG.
