In friendly nod to media, Kejriwal says ‘without media janta wouldn’t have known about us’

“The media has a big share in our success. Without the media, the janta (public) would not have known about us and our work and they would not have voted for us,” Kejriwal said at an orientation programme for Delhi’s MLAs at the legislative assembly.

Kejriwal had earlier accused a large section of the media of “conspiring against the AAP”. But the acknowledgement seemed to suggest that the chief minister may once again be warming up to the media.

“Ninety nine percent of journalists are honest…some reporters who covered us before we entered politics became our friends. Since we formed the government, they come to us and tell us that their editors have sent them to do a negative story about us. This is wrong. Earlier we were just TRPs for them (media). Maybe then they did not take us very seriously. But running the government is serious business,” Kejriwal said.

He cited the example of a “big English newspaper” which allegedly ran an incorrect report quoting him and the chairperson of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). He claimed that the concerned reporter had never contacted either of them and they had sent letters stating the same to the newspaper. “But the newspaper did not print our letters,” he said.

Kejriwal also claimed that fingers are pointed at him if he files a case of criminal defamation. “If I file a criminal defamation suit, they say arre yeh toh criminal defamation karta hai. We have to find a way out. This can cause serious public damage,” he said.