New Delhi (Sputnik): India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, has cited “Indian media’s pro-Modi agenda” behind barring their spokespersons from taking part in news debates on electronic media.
Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh said: “The party has decided not to send their spokespersons on TV news debates as it was becoming inconsequential for them to take part in those debates. A major section [of] Indian television media today is playing in the hands of Narendra Modi and the BJP. Thus, the party high command has taken this step”.
Recently, certain media reports had claimed that Congress President Rahul Gandhi is quitting from the post of party president after the party’s recent debacle in the Indian parliamentary elections after winning just 52 seats as compared to the victorious BJP’s whopping 303 seats.
The reports further alleged Gandhi being unhappy with some of the senior leaders of the party and claimed that infighting was the reason behind spokespersons being debarred from TV media interactions.
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The Congress spokesperson, however, rebuffed the claims of any infighting between the senior party leaders.
“This is completely untrue. The only reason that spokespersons are being refrained from TV news debates is that the news channels hardly ever let them put across the opposition’s stand on issues and blatantly favour the ruling BJP", he said.
Earlier on Thursday, Congress Party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala informed that the party has decided not to send their spokespersons on television debates for a month.
.@INCIndia has decided to not send spokespersons on television debates for a month.
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) May 30, 2019
All media channels/editors are requested to not place Congress representatives on their shows.
The Congress Party has the distinction of having run the Indian government for the most number of times since Indian independence in 1947. The United Progressive Alliance, led by the Congress Party, was in power for two successive terms before the BJP-led government came to power in 2014.