Smita Prakash slams Rahul Gandhi for his 'pliable journalist' remark

Smita Prakash, the journalist who interviewed PM Modi, has hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for calling her a 'pliable journalist'. “Dear Mr Rahul Gandhi, cheap shot at your press conference to attack me. I was asking questions not answering. You want to attack Mr Modi, go ahead but downright absurd to ridicule me. Not expected of a president of the oldest political party in the country,” Prakash tweeted.

Dear Mr Rahul Gandhi, cheap shot at your press conference to attack me. I was asking questions not answering. You want to attack Mr Modi, go ahead but downright absurd to ridicule me. Not expected of a president of the oldest political party in the country.

— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) January 2, 2019

The Congress president had held a press conference to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his interview on New Year. He described the interview to a news agency as 'staged' and said that it was conducted by a pliable journalist.

Gandhi's remark didn't go well with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which demanded Gandhi's apology for terming PM Modi's television interview 'staged'. Defending the journalist who interviewed the PM, BJP media head Anil Baluni said Gandhi's attack on the media person was reflective of the Congress' mindset about journalists in general.

"This has been the Congress' mindset about independent journalism. Rahul Gandhi's DNA is of the Emergency. His party has a history of throttling journalism. He should apologise to the country's journalists for his petty remarks," he said. 

Meanwhile, the Editors Guild of India and journalist bodies have also condemned Gandhi's remark. "Labelling of journalists has emerged as a favourite tactic on the part of the establishment. Discredit, de-legitimise and intimidate them," Guild said.