Jairam Ramesh writes to JP Nadda, seeks apology over BJP members sharing distorted video

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has written to Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda stating that several of his colleagues have “deliberately” shared “fabricated and distorted reportage” on Rahul Gandhi’s comments in Kerala about the SFI violence, and has sought an apology.

He said Nadda should apologise on behalf of colleagues “who have acted with such reckless disregard for truth”. The Congress leader said if an apology is not issued on Saturday, the party will take appropriate legal action.

He said that the original video was Rahul Gandhi’s comment on the SFI violence in his Wayanad office, but “it was deliberately and mischievously doctored to appear as if it was a comment on the heinous murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur “.

Jairam Ramesh said he was appalled to note that “several of your party colleagues have been deliberately and enthusiastically sharing mischievous reportage” that occurred on a private news channel. It was immediately brought to the attention of all concerned that the reportage was false and deliberately misleading. In fact, not a single other channel has presented the clip in such a deliberately fabricated and distorted manner,” he said.

“What is of even greater concern, is that several of your party colleagues, including MP Rajyavardhan Rathore, MP Shri Subrat Pathak, MP Kamlesh Saini, MLA and others, have enthusiastically and without verification published and shared the deliberately fabricated and distorted reportage,” he added.

He said that despite being cautioned by Congress party colleagues that the clip was “maliciously false and misleading, Rathore persisted with amplifying the same, first deleting and then re-uploading the same”.

“This leaves no doubt that his actions were deliberate and part of your party’s strategy to defame the former INC president, to defame the Congress party and to further polarise an already sensitive, communal situation. The fact that some of your colleagues may have deleted the false reportage later after uploading and sharing is no excuse whatsoever because the damage has already been inflicted,” Jairam Ramesh said.

The Congress leader said the party has already initiated appropriate legal action against the broadcaster.
“We expect that you and your party colleagues will cease and desist from spreading such falsehoods. Furthermore, I expect that you will immediately issue an appropriate apology on behalf of your colleagues who have acted with such reckless disregard for the truth,” he said.

“If this apology is not issued today, we will take appropriate legal action against your party and its leaders who insist on and persist in using social media in such a blatantly irresponsible and criminal manner,” he added. (ANI)