Kunal Kamra, a small time comedian, heckling Arnab Goswami, editor and Television anchor of the Republic TV, on an on-going flight-IndiGo, again in another return flight GoAir, indicates what the person is suffering from. He may not like Arnab Goswami’s journalism or his way of questioning on his TV channel, but that’s not the way to behave. It’s not Kunal Kamra business to interfere. A Journalists need not please all.
People have their own personal preferences in watching TV channels or reading books. That comes under their freedom. It is their prerogative. No one forced Kunal Kamra to view the Republic channel. The comedian’s way of persistent queries, while the flight is on board, disturbing many passengers is not a comical thing. So, rightly he was penalised. With this he will not recur such farcical things. Many in the public,who are unaware, will come to know aviation rules this way. Kunal Kamra’s is a classic case. However, uncivil his behaviour was, there were some online news portals that sided with him, huffingpost.in ran a column with the headline- ‘Kunal Kamra: DGCA Chief Says Flying Ban A Clear Violation Of Rules’.
According to the column IndiGo should have waited for an internal enquiry to be completed before putting Kamra on a no-flyer list for six months. An IndiGo pilot who flew with him also bats for the comedian by raising questions on the ban. When the whole lot of flight crew and passengers were the witnesses, what kind of an enquiry is needed? Technicalities apart, his sarcasm- filled animosity towards the journalist, who sat silently all through, was proof enough that the comedian was guilty. Moreover, it’s a case of public nuisance.
Kamra asked Arnab questions with a prejudiced mind. He had already preconceived notions on him and his journalism that was distasteful to him. But the place and timing were not appropriate. In any case, he was no one to correct Arnab Goswami. He cannot assume the position of a Guru to teach/guide him on what he (Kamra) believes to be true. In the whole process, Kunal Kamra tried to pose a moral grandstanding to promote himself, as if what he was asking were true questions that many would want to seek answers. He was doing so with a polarised mind. He told Arnab, “I am part of the tukde tukde narrative. You deflate me … Are you a coward, or are you a journalist, or a nationalist? Who are you Arnab?” Are they the questions to be asked in a flight ? By doing so, he himself became an object of ridicule.
The second part of the question Kunal Kamra asked was a serious one . He brought in Rohit Vemula’s context, which is a pet project of he and his ilk. He found fault with Arnab with regard to Rohit’s caste queries that were asked on his show. And he further asked Arnab to read Rohit’s suicide note. He in his own tweet says: ‘The moment the stewardess asked me to move, I went back to my seat in 20 seconds. I apologised to each crew member personally and to both the pilots, by staying back till the end,for any inconvenience…….Let us all take a moment and fondly remember a smiling Rohit Vemula.’ What is this iconolatry of Rohit Vemula? A smiling Rohit Vemula like a smiling Buddha !
Rohit Vemula’s suicide note went viral. Of course, it was pathetic to read. And also pathetic to see a boy die so young. When alive, there was a video of him that went viral in which he abused Hindutva and saffron colour in a very foul ( unparliamentary) language in Telugu. That showed how hate-filled was his mind against Hindutva. His SC status is questionable. Initially, it was said, his mother was a Christian convert. Then the caste – SC would not apply. Then changed the religion to an affable Buddhism. So many somersaults on his religion and caste. Kunal Kamra would want to believe what he knew (through someone) than the verified facts.
Clearly, Kunal Kamra belonged to left wing politics. One can say this by the tweets of Swara Bhaskar when he was banned by many airlines. She tweeted: how will you survive this devastating blow? (On 28/01/20). Another tweet on 29/01/20: Kunal you did no wrong. Period. So, they’re birds of same feather. From among journalists, there are many sympathisers for him. The online news portals and individual journalists and anchors of news channels that are standing for Kunal Kamra and the airlines ban imposed on him to be severe, are all, in one way or the other, anti-CAA activists. Kunal Kamra is in no way a paragon of virtue. He has his scores to settle and he has his partisan ends. All in all, it was a messy affair.
