After the demise of veteran journalist Vinod Dua, some people, especially from the media fraternity took to social media to offer condolences and pray his soul. Some even suggested how he was one of the greatest journalists of all times. One such was NDTV’s chief Prannoy Roy.
Deeply mourning the loss of Vinod.He was not just one of the greatest,he was THE greatest of his time.I have always said that:THE greatest An amazing talent I admired and respected-and from whom I learnt a lot in the many years we worked closely together Rest in peace my friend
— Prannoy Roy (@PrannoyRoyNDTV) December 4, 2021
Many also took to social media to share how they had grown up watching political analysis on television screen by Roy and Dua and romanticised the news from that era.
Two hosts. Not shouting, not ranting, not necessarily agreeing, but defending their points of view as best as they could without rancour or anger and with a courtesy that we remember to this day.
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) December 4, 2021
One of them left us today.
RIP Vinod Dua, privileged to have grown up watching you pic.twitter.com/gYMWQAvEz1
Vinod Dua, with Prannoy Roy, showed us what television could be like. He will always have a place in the history of Indian television. He set the standard. You can say that about very few.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 4, 2021
However, along with all this, a screenshot from 2013 had also gone viral upon Dua’s demise.
In June 2013, Dua had taken to Facebook to attack Roy and accused him of ruining his career as a political journalist. He had said, “This chap has betrayed me and I will take my revenge,” he had posted on Facebook. “I am convinced,,,, it’s time to kill them….it may take me some months but kill I will them….. these thieves of Indian Broadcasting. Funded by us,” he had posted. It was not clear whether Dua meant to kill them literally or figuratively.
Dua then said that he had trusted Roy to design a weekend political programme which was promised to him. Except, Roy betrayed his trust. He said that he was putting it out publicly because Roy’s personal secretary Hanna was also not taking his calls. “It was you who invited me to work with you,” he said and added that he never asked to work for his ‘outfit’. “Since you did not design my career, I will not allow you to put an end to mine,” he had posted.
“We shall meet face to face whenever you have balls/courage Prannoy Roy. Or else we shall seek you out for trying to put an end to my political career on tv,” he had posted.
In the 1980s, Dua, along with Roy started election analysis on Doordarshan. He seems to have joined NDTV in 2004 but instead of political shows, he came to be known as a food critic hosting a show on food – travelling across India eating and critiquing food and flavours like food vlogger of current times. Thereby, from being a ‘political journalist’ analysing elections, Dua was likely upset at being reduced to a food vlogger of the 2000s. Further, Roy, who started career at same time as he did, was a media mogul while Dua was just a part time consultant in same ‘outfit’
The fight between Dua and Roy back then had created quite an intrigue and amusement back then.
This Vinod Dua vs Prannoy Roy is getting better than JDU vs BJP.
— MANJUL (@MANJULtoons) June 15, 2013
By August 2013, it was quite clear that there is a Modi wave coming and 2014 general elections would be one of the most significant ones to cover as a journalist. The Zaike ka Safar host was likely upset at not being part of the greatest elections of all times. Which is when he lashed out on Roy and accused him of ruining his career. Soon after, he ended his association with NDTV where he was a ‘part-time consultant’.
However, it is not yet clear whether Dua was fired from NDTV before or after the meltdown on Facebook.
Eventually, in February 2014, right in the middle of general elections where early trends suggested Modi wave sweeping the nation, Dua had joined Raghav Bahl’s Network 18.
Delighted that the original election anchor Vinod Dua joins the IBN 7 team from today! 8 pm mon to thurs: Prashnakaal with Vinod Dua.
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) February 17, 2014
Network 18 provided Dua the platform from to become a political journalist again after the ‘betrayal’. However, soon after 2014 elections, Network 18 was taken over by Reliance Group and Dua eventually left Network 18 too, only to join leftist propaganda website The Wire. At The Wire, Dua relentlessly spread half truths and whole lies. Through his video series titled “Jan Gan Man ki Baat“, Dua, peddled some of the finest unadulterated propaganda on The Wire.
While at The Wire, in 2018, #MeToo allegations against him surfaced where he was accused of sexual harassment and stalking by a filmmaker. Dua had refused to face the lady who had accused him of abuse and The Wire had dissolved the probe committee out of frustration. However, soon after the sexual harassment allegations, it seems even The Wire betrayed him and in December 2018 he was rehabilitated by another outfit named ‘HW Network’, with mysterious source of funding, where he continued to peddle misinformation.
