Rashtrapati Bhavan rebukes India Today group

Liberals’ ‘eye ball’ Rajdeep Sardesai in deep soup, loses host seat at India Today due to fake news

Delhi: In an unprecedented move, the Rashtrapati Bhavan has rebuked India Today group for their journalists dragging the Rashtrapati Bhavan in a controversy ‘for motives that are not clear’.

Rashtrapati Bhavan has also expressed ‘deep distress’ at the conduct of Rajdeep Sardesai and other journalists at India Today and has said that it has been forced to review their engagement with the Group.

In a stern letter to the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India Today group Mr. Aroon Purie, the Press Secretary to the President Ajay Kumar Singh wrote: “On January 23, the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, unveiled a portrait of Subhash Chandra Bose at Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary celebrations. A section of journalists, including Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai, a prominent representative of India Today as well as many more from the group headed by you, reacted to this announcement on Twitter by alleging that the portrait was not that of Netaji but of actor Prosenjit Chatterjee.”

The letter further says: “That this was not a momentary lapse of judgement or a forgivable slip of pen was made amply apparent when the facts made themselves clear. These journalists merely deleted their tweets, or made a clarification – without owning up their blunder, much less apologising for it. I believe this is an unpardonable conduct, for the individuals involved as well as for the platform from which they seek to draw legitimacy. This episode has caused deep distress at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and we are forced to review our engagements with the India Today group.”

It may be added here that soon after spreading fake news about Netaji’s portrait, Rajdeep Sardesai was involved in yet another fake news by tweeting and telecasting that a youth was killed in police firing on Republic Day.

He even said that the youth was shot in the head. However, eye witnesses and later post mortem made it clear that the youth died because the tractor he was driving had overturned.

India Today group has reportedly taken action against him. He has been taken off air from the TV channel and salary cut has also been ordered. There are some reports that say that he may have quit the group too.

Earlier, the former President of India late Pranab Mukherjee too had scolded Rajdeep Sardesai for showing disrespect to him during an interview.