So Story starts in 2011 when India Against corruption was in peak. For the first time English media was dominating. Leading the charge & setting the Agenda was Arnab Goswami @TimesNow .Ahmed Patel P Chidambaram at that time meet Aroon Purie (India Today) Raghav Rajdeep (CNN IBN)
And Prannoy Roy NDTV. Attempts where made to Separate all channels from @TimesNow specially Arnab Goswami. But it was too late. People's where on the streets & ecosystem was checkmated .
During this Time Living media under whom @IndiaToday comes that time (Headlines Today) which was financially understress asked Ahmed Patel & P chidambaram to bail them out.
Come 2012 Miya Patel & P Chidambaram persuaded Kumar Mangalam birla To bail out @aroonpurie Living Media.
In May 2012 Kumar Birla picked 27.5 % in Living Media Ltd . The first Story after Birla stake in Headlines Today was Alleged Snoop Case of Gujarat & Ishrat Jahan Encounter case. Just 6 months before Gujarat assembly elections.
But all this allegations backfired on Ecosystem Modi Won Gujarat 2012 handsomely . This didn't stop Anti Modi campaign of Headlines Today Till June 2013 it tried it's best so that BJP don't announce him as PM candidate.
Once MODI was announced @aroonpurie & Kumar Birla changed their position seeing the changing direction of wind . During this period kumar Birla increased his stake from 27.5 to 35 % (hear comes the scam which I will reval during this thread ) 7.5 %increase .
Come May 2014 Things turned upside down for the corporate world specially those corporates who were closed to Gandhi family.
In Aug 2014 when Modi Government went After NDTV. Fearing that he will be next kumar birla tried to sell his stake in LIVING MEDIA. But Aroon Purie meet Arun Jaitley Along with Kumar birla asking for assurance that Government will not go after their media house.
Jaitley Assured them .Aroon Purie Freindship with Jaitley came to his rescue. Birla holded his decision of selling his stake. And that's how India Today survived.
Here comes the twist After December 2018 assembly results @aroonpurie & kumar birla again started Anti BJP campaign whether it was showing of Rahul Gandhi on Magazine cover or Rafael Story day after day its turned more & more Anti BJP .
All was hunky dory for the ecosystem & @aroonpurie uptill 26th FEBRUARY 2019 that day was the biggest blow for the ecosystem. That day SEALED 2019 for @narendramodi . Cunning Purie & Birla again made the U Turn turned in its editorial position shifted to PRO BJP .
Modi returned in 2019 but this time their was no Jaitley to help for the likes of Purie . AMIT SHAH was calling the shots government adds to India today & some channels got big cut in NAMO GOVERNMENT 2.0
Facing the crunch Purie again reached out to Congress . Birla too was angry by government because of Vodafone Idea issue. Enters Kamalnath & Ahmed Miya Patel Tango .
Kamalnath promised add revenues & political clout to both @aroonpurie & Kumar birla Add packages of as many as 180 cr was promised to purie.
Suddenly after kamalnath deal @IndiaToday once started doing anti government story's on economy & Job .They Got more & more emboldened after Congress formed Government in Maharashtra & Jarkhand.
See how viscous & anti government their stand & coverage was during CAA protest & Delhi elections .weather its JNU episode or fake tapes on ABVP . With each passing day @IndiaToday was trying to become Times Now of 2011 to 2014 .Turning CAA protest into @narendramodi IAC moment
During this period kumar birla also added fire on economic front by going public & saying that we will have to shut our shop if government doesn't intervene. All this was a calculated move to up the ante against the Government both on economic & socio front.
Amit Shah luckly came with short in his arm in 3rd week of January2020. When he digged out 7.5 % stake matter (remember 27.5 %to 35%) k Birla stake in the living media during 2012 to 2014. only Modi was aware of this because Jaitley told him .shah asked @aroonpurie to meet him .
Aroon Purie along with @supriyapd went to meet shah without any pleasantries shah put some documents in front of them & told our government is hear minimum for 50+ months . I will make sure that your shop gets closed make no mistake about it .
Listening to that Aroon Purie just got worried and asked what mistake he committed for shah anger. Shah said asked this question to yourself. After Delhi elections None of my party spokesperson will be on your Debates like NDTV. Saying this much shah got up & went for other meet
Aroon Purie after hearing all this from shah dailed to PMO for an urgent meet with PM @narendramodi which got declined. Purie then asked Kumar birla to pacify shah & told the whole story .Birla also didn't got chance to speak with shah .so he called @rsprasad .
@rsprasad told him that he will get back to him after talking with Shah . First shot was fired @AmitShah asked Purie to toe the line . Purie agreed & then came the second demand of SHAH to throw Rahul kanwal Out of India Today. Purie said it will be counter productive.
Shah replied back it doesn't matter & put down the phone. Aroon Purie conveyed this to Rahul kanwal & asked him that if he can calm Shah Anger .Rahul kanwal tried to call Shah which Shah didn't replied.
Next day early morning 7:00 AM (Delhi winter) Rahul kanwal was on shah home without appointment some how shah gave him time .Rahul first sentence was I am sorry I was just toeing kaali purie orders . I have nothing against BJP.
To which shah replied that it doesn't matter I will make sure that you will be the next barkha dutt in the market. At this moment Rahul asked just one last chance to Shah after that he will not let him down. Shah asked him to stay away from Delhi campaign coverage & he obliged
Matter shaant for time being . Aroon Purie & Kumar Birla decide to shut Delhi Aaj tak post Delhi elections & Trump visit .
Come March with the arrest of Yes Bank chairman Rana Kapoor & chances of kamalnath lossing power in MP another media baron got worried. Enters the name of @Raghav_Bahl & @TheQuint
Raghav knew his game is up post 2019 he was always under the stress with Rana Arrest & Kamalnath on the verge of losing MP he decided to sell quint. He contacted his freind a Politician from Maharashtra who runs the biggest Bidi business in country.
Bidi king was aware of Kumar Birla plan of winding up Delhi Aaj tak so he asked if he interested in buying Digital news media network. Kumar birla showed interest.
In the third week of March meeting was set up between @Raghav_Bahl @aroonpurie & Bidi king at a five star hotel in bandra Mumbai.
Aroon Purie showed interest in buying quint. So both raghav & aroon decided to meet again this time in NCR . Aroon Purie without any knowledge that both bidi king & Raghav are under agency watch came back to delhi.
Next day both Aroon Purie & kumar birla received the call that 7.5 % stake matter will go under inquiry. And they both will pay heavy price for it.
In the meantime coronavirus & lockdown came so matter put on hold . The sudden Pro BJP turn or you may say PRO HINDU turn of @IndiaToday is nothing but sucking up exercise.
For the long time both @narendramodi & @AmitShah did gave long rope to @aroonpurie Hope now they will take action. Thread ends . #JaiHind 🇮🇳
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