Narendra Modi is in highest demand, says Rajat Sharma

Narendra Modi is in highest demand, says Rajat Sharma
By our correspondent
Ahmedabad, DeshGujarat, 22nd of October, 2008



India’s No.1 Hindi news channel India TV‘s owner Rajat Sharma was in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Rajat Sharma delivered a speech and interacted with viewers in a packed hall at Ahmedabad Management Association. Sharma looked frank, candid, humble and honest in answering most of the questions raised by viewers.

Some of the questions raised by common people present at the open function were related to Narendra Modi and Godhra coverage in media.

When asked, Does he consider Narendra Modi a man for development or a communal person, Rajat Sharma said “Narendra Modi has proved by his performance that he can make Gujarat a Golden State. Proving something like this by performance is difficult but he has done this successfully. Modi has created better infrastructure armed with better power, better water, better roads facilities. He has excelled the state in a way that Ratan Tata has chosen Gujarat for Nano. Modi is a man for development. We should forget the old things and should pave new paths.”

When asked why news channels keep highlighting Godhra issue even now after six years at prime time but never give a justice to coverage on Gujarat’s development side, Rajat Sharma said “My opinion may differ with most of the other television news channel editors but I think we should forget Godhra. We the people from media should go with the sentiments of the people of Gujarat. When Gujarat’s clear choice is Narendra Modi, who are we to decide something else?”

In an answer to the question about offending Godhra related coverage by the media that projects bad picture of Gujarat, Rajat Sharma said “When Godhra happened in 2002, my TV news channel India TV was not in existence. My channel came in 2004. But I guarantee you, that if India TV was there in 2002, Gujarat’s image after Godhra could be much different than what projected.”

When viewers asked Rajat Sharma, why his famous Aap Ki Adalat program’s old episodes are being repeated for last some months and why fresh episodes are absent, Sharma said “We are building a new and better set up for Aap Ki Adalat and the task is near completion. We would be back with Aap Ki Adalat‘s new episodes soon after Diwali. We choose our guests for Aap Ki Adalat via viewers demand through their emails,letters and feedback. And the highest demand from all parts of the nation is for bringing Narendra Modi as a guest in Aap Ki Adalat. However to ask questions to Narendra Modi is not an easy task.”

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