With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) having cleared him and his network of any wrongdoing in the audience rating imbroglio, Republic Networks Arnab Goswami reveals for the first time the plot to frame him.

According to a press release from TV9 Network, in a sensational disclosure, Arnab has claimed the entire ratings system was paralyzed by the TV industry in India to target him, adding, “It was a bitter battle between new entrepreneurship and legacy media.”

Now, Arnab answers not just questions on the audience ratings system, but about a whole range of issues facing the Indian news media.

The famous news television host, according to the press release, is here to answer all questions posed to him during ‘Duologue with Barun Das’ on TV9 Network channels.

It is a role reversal – both for Das as well as Goswami. And for the audience, it is a double bonanza.

Das, who as MD & CEO of TV9 Network, has disrupted the news television order in the country, has now been easaying a new role by facing the camera on his series ‘Duologue’ that featured former UK Prime Minister David Cameron as the last guest. In the latest edition, Goswami gets into the hot seat.

On the menu is a no-holds barred cerebral conversation on the state of news media in India and abroad. No mincing of words but a straight-from-the-heart take on the need for recognizing the new order in the news television media, the ratings imbroglio, big corporate media takeover, the Khan Market ‘gang’, free media and the need for an Indian narrative for a global audience.

‘Duologue with Barun Das’ also has Goswami responding to criticism on being pro-establishment to ‘nation wants to know’ controversy to his days at NDTV and Times Now, and his vision behind Republic TV.

Speaking about the show featuring Goswami, Das said, “I believe leadership is all about disruption. Arnab is phenomenal and makes for an unrivalled case study. You may simply love him or hate him, but can ignore him only at your peril. The best part of having him at ‘Duologue’ has been his uncanny ability to speak frankly on issues that not only define him, but also have a significant bearing on the news media scene in India.”

After the cameras stopped rolling, Goswami said, “Barun has an easy-going and yet razor-sharp conversational style. He got me to open up on subjects I’ve been quiet about, and I’m glad we did the ‘duologue’ like I haven’t before. I wish his OTT platform and this show all the very best.”

Talking about the clean chit from probe agencies, Goswami said, “I recorded this ‘Duologue with Barun’ a few days before the final TRP Report came out. He made me speak about our incarceration for the first time since my arrest. People should know the truth about what happened to the Republic, how we fought, and how we won. Most grateful to Barun for the opportunity.”

The ‘Duologue with Barun Das’ show, featuring Goswami, will host four episodes: The Disruptors; Friends, foes, and fortitude; Media Inc. and Frankly speaking, finally.

‘Duologue with Barun Das’ is a cerebral conversation with a legend or a legend in the making. As the title suggests, it is a two-way interaction to enable the exchange of ideas in a free-flowing manner. The show is not provoked by headline management, but aimed at evolving emancipated influencer conversations.