Jairam gears Congress to go offensive, gets TV channel’s apology

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, July 5: Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh within days of taking charge as the head of the communication department of the Congress tasted success, forcing Zee News to apologize for a doctored video, while a celebrity anchor of the channel is in police custody.

Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan Police are on offensive, having booked cases in the alleged doctored video allegations by the Congress.

The Zee News anchor Rohit Ranjan, alleged to have doctored the Rahul Gandhi video to make out as if he was making references to the Udaipur killing of a tailor while he was speaking in Kerala purportedly over the SFI violence, is now arrested by the Noida Police after a brief spell of theatrics by the TV journalist.

Rajasthan Police have booked a case against the anchor, and also against former Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore.

Ramesh had gone on an offensive against the doctored video, shooting a letter to the BJP chief JP Nadda, cautioning him against circulation of the video by the party leaders, including Rajyavardhan Rathore, Subrata Pathak, Kamlesh Saini, while warning of initiating legal actions. Ramesh had asked Nadda to make his party leaders who circulated the fake video to apologise.

Ramesh, IAS-turned politician, was the Union Minister for Rural Development in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

His offensive has sent the television channels who have shown wont for misinforming and distorting fearlessly into shock.

Ramesh has also tasted success in calling bluff of the celebrity anchors, who have risen the leaders, only on the basis of their lung power, exhibiting rustic attributes as medals.

The newly-appointed Congress media head seems to know that offensive is the strategy to take on the BJP, as has been done with much success by Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is also following in the footsteps of his West Bengal counterpart, going two steps ahead to launch an all-out attack against the BJP and even showing least regards for the conventions of the protocol to welcome Prime Minister at the airport.

Ramesh’s fame as the Union Minister was his wide travel in the tribal areas, particularly the Maoist violence affected regions of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. He’s credited for unveiling the Saranda Action plan for the tribal areas. He would hop on the military aircraft to visit the Maoist affected areas, and on occasions he would ignore the adverse intelligence inputs.

His appointment as the media head of the Congress has already begun showing changes, as he begins going against mischievous elements. Ramesh would be a rare media head of a political party who neither watches television channels nor does he appear in their shows.

On Jul3, Ramesh called The Indian Express report that Rahul Gandhi had called E Palaniswamy to seek support for the Opposition Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha bogus.

The offensive that Ramesh has unleashed would mean that the Congress would now call out mischievous reports.