Doordarshan decided to air some of its classics again in view of engaging people in watching television amid the Coronavirus lockdown in India. Among classics like Shaktimaan, Dekh Bhai Dekh etc being aired, the two most popular 1980s TV Serials telecast on Doordarshan were Hindu epics Mahabharat and Ramayan. The epic serial Ramayan engaged a hug number of viewers as soon as the first episode aired and became the top trend on Google crashing the Doordarshan website.

Now, a Columnist who goes by the name Anil Biswal has alleged that he was removed from a WhatsApp group meant for writers and journalists simply because he said the re-telecast of Ramayan had become the highest viewed TV program on Doordarshan.

Taking to Twitter, Anil Biswal uploaded a snapshot of his WhatsApp chat where it could be seen that in a group meant for writers, columnists and journalists, Biswal had written: “Retelecast of Ramayan garnered the highest-ever rating for a Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) programme since 2015 when the Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC) started measuring the television audience informed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting”.

Biswal took to Twitter to write, “If you say that #Ramayana became the most viewed TV programme, then the Communists will remove you from WhatsApp group blaming you as Communal. Bhalachandra Sarangi, a hard core CPIML leader from Odisha did so to me. Screenshot attached”.

Image Source: Indian express