New Delhi: The Congress party has announced a complete boycott of Rahul Kanwal’s show, Newstrack, on India Today. The decision comes after the anchor allegedly allowed certain remarks by BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya to go unchallenged and amplified these comments on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
The controversy stems from a recent episode of Newstrack, which discussed the Donald Trump assassination bid and similar incidents in India. During the show, Malviya accused Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of fostering narratives and politics that could lead to “similar attacks” in India. He further claimed that former Congress leaders had been “assassinated for their political decisions.”
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera expressed his discontent on X, criticizing Kanwal for amplifying Malviya’s remarks and not allowing Congress spokesperson Mahima Singh to complete her counterarguments. Khera stated, “We are constrained to announce that we shall not be participating in the show of Mr. Rahul Kanwal.”
Khera condemned Malviya’s comments as “obnoxious” and “belittling the martyrdom of former Prime Ministers of India and other great leaders.” He accused Kanwal of not only letting these remarks go unchallenged but also tweeting them from his account. When confronted, Kanwal reportedly attributed the tweet to his producer.
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Kanwal posted clips from the debate on X, featuring both Malviya’s contentious remarks and Singh’s responses. Despite Khera’s request, these tweets remain online.
In response, Malviya tweeted, “Congress tried to bully Rahul Kanwal. Failed. Their Emergency mindset has to be crushed…For good. More than media, it is for the Congress to read the 4th Jun 2024 mandate right. It is for continuity. The Congress must realise that it has failed to touch 100, third time in a row.” This comment reflects the BJP’s stance on what it perceives as Congress’s unwillingness to accept electoral outcomes and media independence.
