In June 2017 NDTV's popular anchor Nidhi Razdan threw out the BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra from her show 'Right, Left and Centre' for obstreperous behaviour, and things were never the same between the news channel and the ruling party. The BJP immediately banned his spokespersons from appearing on NDTV, a ban that still stands (though right-wing votaries do make a regular appearance).
And a few days after the Patra expulsion, NDTV was raided by the CBI, though there was no connection between the two.
Recently Nidhi appeared on Amit Verma's podcast The Seen and the Unseen where she spoke about the episode from three years ago.
Asked if there was something she wishes she hadn't done or is not proud of in her 21-year long career in journalism, Razdan, who will soon move on to Harvard University to teach journalism, says, 'Sometimes I do have doubts about whether I should have thrown Sambit Patra out of my show, that day. The whole organisation stood by me for doing that. Prannoy Roy got raided by the CBI two-three days later, which was a coincidence. The BJP stopped coming on NDTV and that stands to this day.'
'Most people tell me, 'You did the right thing, somebody has to stand up and call these guys out,' but to be honest, when I look back, I think maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I should have said my piece and let it go. That would have been more democratic of me rather than just tell him to leave. If I have to relive that, maybe I wouldn't do it,' Razdan tells Verma.
It's a fascinating conversation, and you can listen to it
here.