Rahul Gandhi raps media for ‘not telling true story of India’

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, May 31: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday rapped the media for being instrumental in “huge distortion”. Gandhi was unsparing in his attack on the media during his interaction with the Indian diaspora in Santa Clara (California), the US.

Gandhi is in the US for a 10-day tour during which he will connect with the Indian diaspora also the leaders of the political leadership of the largest economy of the world. Gandhi’s outreach in the US is ahead of the invite by President Joe Biden for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state visit next month.

“Media likes to promote a political narrative, far removed from the reality. Media is part of the exercise to carry out huge distortion,” Gandhi said during his interaction.

Gandhi has consistently been hitting out the media. He has been giving tongue lashing to the media even at pressers at the Congress headquarters. Recently, he had pointedly told a Congress beat reporter for several years for asking questions at the behest of the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Reflecting on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Gandhi said that he realized that the media was promoting things which were suited the BJP. “…don’t think that everything that you see in the media is truth,” said Gandhi.

He also cautioned the diaspora that India is not what the media shows, alleging that the media promotes a particular narrative.

Incidentally, the Congress after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections had stopped sending party spokespersons for the television debates. However, this has been partially withdrawn, as Jairam Ramesh, who heads the communication department of the Congress, brought about changes in relations with the media with selective interactions.

Gandhi has been raining allegations against the media for the past few months. The Congress grievance against the media is seen to be on account of the mainstream section of the press abandoned critiquing the government and almost forgotten investigative journalism. Also, the mainstream media is being accused by the Congress for not giving space to news stories which are critical of the Narendra Modi government.

The Congress on the other hand has gained confidence from the fact that the party can win elections even without wooing the media. The Congress won the Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka Assembly elections, and the party was seen to be more accessible to the regional and the digital media during the campaign trails.