New Delhi: A video of an interview between journalist Karan Thapar and political strategist Prashant Kishor has gone viral on social media. In the recent video, Thapar and Kishor can be seen engaged in a heated exchange.
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However, there is much more behind the viral content, which many media houses haven't covered. It is the very last portion of the interview where Prashant Kishor pointed out Karan Thapar’s play of words during an argument about continuing the interview.
The Exchange:
Karan Thapar: “Can I continue, or do you wish to stop?”
Prashant Kishor: “No, no, why should I stop? I don't want to give you that privilege… that I (Karan) said something and he (Kishor) ran out of my interview… I can deal with you and others like you…”
Karan Thapar: “I congratulate you.”
Karan Thapar: “I thank you for letting me go ahead, and I thank you for not getting upset enough to walk out.”
Prashant Kishor: “Please go ahead… you have your own experience with walking out. People do not walk out; they are not fearful of you, your questioning, or your style of questioning. Do not live in this perception that you are so aggressive and authentic that people will run away from you…”
Later, Karan Thapar changed his words about ending the interview. Watch the video here:
In the interview, Prashant Kishor is heard saying that Karan Thapar was trying to intimidate him with his play of words. “Do not intimidate me… you’ll not be able to intimidate me,” Prashant Kishor said while having a heated argument over a question on Kishor’s prediction of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly election in 2022.
In the video, Thapar confronts Kishor with past tweets predicting the Congress party's defeat in Himachal Pradesh in May 2022 and in Telangana in September 2023. Kishor, appearing visibly upset and uncomfortable, denied making those predictions.
During the interview, Kishor vehemently denied Thapar's assertions and demanded evidence, challenging Thapar to present any video footage where he made such predictions. Thapar referenced online news articles, which Kishor promptly dismissed. He stated his willingness to exit politics if Thapar could provide video evidence of his alleged statements from two years ago, refusing to accept text-based reports from newspapers and websites as proof.
Thapar cited Kishor's earlier remarks, mentioning tweets and news articles where Kishor had predicted significant setbacks for the Congress party in specific state elections. This led to a tense moment as Kishor denied ever making such statements, contradicting his previous forecasts.
Ziaur Rahman May 27, 2024
Prashant Kishore's reputation as a poll strategist for political parties has been exaggerated. Some believe he promotes himself heavily to secure lucrative future assignments in other states. Undeniably, he misused social media and digital platforms to support Narendra Modi's election campaign when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, and Kishore was his strategist. However, the BJP eventually learned to use social media and digital marketing for political gain and parted ways with Kishore. Experienced journalists doubt Prashant Kishore's reliability, prompting him to remain in the news before the Loksabha elections in 2024, compelling him to release interviews with mediocre journalists and media outlets labelled Godi media. There are suspicions that he may have been indirectly working for the BJP to dissuade people from voting for the Congress or other allied parties before the elections of 2024.