Congress leaders have demanded that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) be constituted an inquiry into the ‘Chatgate’ involving Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami and former BARC head Partho Dasgupta.

The opposition leaders alleged there was evidence that Goswami was privy to the Balakot airstrikes that were “planned” by the BJP regime purely with Lok Sabha elections in mind, says a report.

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Former Union information and broadcasting minister and Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari while referring to the leaked WhatsApp chats, tweeted: “If what sections of media is reporting is correct, then it points towards a direct linkage between Balakot airstrikes and 2019 general elections. Was national security milked for electoral purposes? Needs a JPC investigation.”

Also read: TRP manipulation case: WhatsApp chat between Arnab Goswami and ex-BARC CEO surfaces on social media

Senior Congress leaders including Jairam Ramesh, Jitendra Singh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Karti Chidambaram have posted public comments on the issue.

Karti wrote on his Twitter handle: “Does the @BJP4India have any comments on the #ArnabGate chat details, or is it too trivial to merit a response?”

Abhishek Manu Singhvi tweeted: “Arnab’s chats dated 23.02.2019 refer to sharing of Intel reaction along the Pak border.”

“It means someone very senior in Govt is leaking highly confidential info which may endanger the lives of our soldiers & so that mercenary considerations can add to TRPs {television rating points},” Singhvi wrote.

The WhatsApp chats form part of Mumbai Police’s 3,600-page supplementary chargesheet in a recent scandal over alleged manipulation of TV ratings.