Asianet, said to command the highest viewership among Malayalam TV channels and also known for its anti-Hindu, anti-RSS, and anti-BJP stance, has chosen the successful, well-organised, and auspicious Mahakumbh Mela as an opportunity to engage in mudslinging against the BJP and Hindutva. That was the theme of Cover Story, a weekly programme telecast on March 1, 2025. This programme is exclusively anchored by Sindhu Sooryakumar, the executive news editor for several years.
Her commentary can be summarised as follows:
The BJP in Kerala has the best organisational machinery in Dakshin Bharat. Kerala is a 100% literate state. Why is the BJP gaining ground in a state where the Congress remains a powerful force? The Mahakumbh Mela is over. According to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 64 crore pilgrims participated in the Kumbh Mela. This time, hundreds of people from Kerala travelled for the Kumbh snan. In short, Keralites are displaying unprecedented enthusiasm for the Kumbh Mela, Hindu sentiments, and rituals. Even though we boast that “Kerala, Sir, 100% literacy, Sir,” hundreds of Keralites are still interested in the Kumbh Mela and its rituals. With effective advertising, good public relations, and a strong business model, the Kumbh Mela has become popular even in Kerala. Look around—you will find that at least one in ten people around us has attended the Kumbh Mela. That is the impact. That is why Kerala is becoming a state where the BJP is the fastest-growing party in Dakshin Bharat. The visuals shown were of the Prime Minister’s snan.
Sindhu Sooryakumar’s blatant bigotry is akin to lamenting that the Kumbh Mela is a crime! She should have remembered that the Kumbh Mela is not an RSS, BJP, or VHP event. It is a sacred Hindu tradition, like Diwali and Navaratri. It is deeply spiritual, historically and culturally rich. The entire Hindu community reveres the confluence of the sacred Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers as the holy Triveni Sangam. It is not an RSS pilgrimage centre. Yet, Sindhu has no grievances about the lakhs of Muslims who travel to Mecca for Hajj. The same Asianet had no hesitation in glorifying Ramadan as a “period of spiritual purity.” However, when it comes to Hindu matters, the so-called “respect for religion” vanishes. Observers suggest that journalists in the media fear the dominance of the CPM, leading to a shameless surrender.
Sindhu, who views the Kumbh Mela as an unsuitable tradition for literate people, does not hold the same view of Hajj. Despite the central theme of Hajj being the “stoning of Satan,” Sindhu does not label it as superstition. Such terminology, it appears, is reserved exclusively for Hindu traditions and rituals. She claimed that, according to Yogi Adityanath, 64 crore people attended the Kumbh Mela. In other words, she “innocently” quoted the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister but implied disbelief in the idea that one-third of the country’s population participated. She conveniently ignored the fact that the number of attendees was counted using thousands of AI-powered cameras, which are highly accurate.
Asianet also airs another so-called satirical programme called Munshi. It has been running for more than a quarter of a century, yet this author has never encountered any genuine satire in it. In short, it is nothing but nonsense. The producer of Munshi is no different from Sindhu. His comedians mocked the Kumbh Mela as well. One participant exclaimed, “Oh! 63 crore people attended the Kumbh Mela.” Another responded, “That is one-third of the country’s population,” in a tone of disbelief. The programme’s producer seemingly believes that such a large number is implausible. The poor fellow either does not know—or deliberately ignores—the fact that thousands of AI-powered cameras were installed to count the participants accurately. Another participant sarcastically questioned the availability of toilets, to which another responded with a crude remark about open defecation (using a vulgar slang term in Malayalam). Again, the producer either does not know—or deliberately ignores—the fact that the Uttar Pradesh government spent Rs 1,600 crore on sanitation facilities for the event.
This same anti-Hindu channel does provide live coverage of the Sabarimala Makar Jyothi, despite the fact that Keralites form the majority of Sabarimala pilgrims. Many Ayyappa devotees suspect that, one day, this channel may broadcast a programme arguing that the Sabarimala pilgrimage through forests is neither healthy nor hygienic.
On March 3, BJP state president K. Surendran harshly criticised the channel. He stated: “The Malayalam media are also receiving funds of the kind Donald Trump referred to, as well as George Soros’ funding. Nobody questions the number of Hajis going to Mecca for Hajj. Yet, suddenly, there is a concern over how many Keralites went for the Kumbh snan. Jihadi money is supporting urban Naxals.”
Reports suggest that the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre, based in the Gulf, hosts several journalists from Malayalam electronic media.
Some observers recall Asianet’s controversial live report during the Delhi riots in connection with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). A reporter from Asianet’s Delhi bureau falsely claimed that a mosque was burning behind him, leading to communal tensions in Kerala. Pseudo-secularists exploited this falsehood for their vested interests, launching verbal attacks and propaganda against the RSS, BJP, and other Sangh-affiliated organisations. In reality, the claim that a mosque was burning was an utter lie.
The BJP in Kerala has clashed with Asianet News on multiple occasions. In 2015, the Kerala BJP announced a boycott of Asianet News, claiming that the channel was dominated by “journalists with a Left background.” In 2021, Union Minister and senior Kerala BJP leader V. Muraleedharan refused to allow Asianet News reporters at his press conferences, stating that the party was boycotting the channel due to its coverage of post-poll violence in West Bengal.
Now, the derogatory remarks about the Kumbh Mela have provoked the anger of not only Sangh-affiliated individuals but also the broader Hindu community. This prompted BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar—who had invested in Asianet—to address the controversy in a Facebook post. He wrote:
“Faith is important for every Hindu. Several Malayalees have messaged me, saying that the programme hurt them and ridiculed the Kumbh Mela. My family was among the crores of pilgrims who participated in the Maha Kumbh Mela snan. I have brought this to the attention of those who call the shots at Asianet News. I have asked them to ensure that such careless, sarcastic remarks about a sacred event attended by lakhs of devotees do not occur again. Faith is important for every Hindu, just as it is for every other religion. Crores of Hindus across the country, including Kerala, expect that to be respected.”
Rajeev Chandrasekhar acquired stakes in Asianet, Asianet News, and Asianet Plus in 2006.
Interestingly, according to political observers, Asianet’s persistent anti-Hindu and anti-RSS propaganda has negatively impacted Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s political prospects in Kerala. TThey argue that Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s perceived association with Asianet’s anti-Hindu and anti-RSS stance cost him at least 10,000 votes when he contested the Thiruvananthapuram Parliamentary seat in the 2014 elections. In that election, Shashi Tharoor of the Congress secured 358,155 votes, while Chandrasekhar, the BJP candidate, received 342,078 votes.
