The Congress on Thursday demanded an apology from Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw alleging a “pathetic, insulting and dangerous narrative” being run by Doordarshan labelling Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Imran Masood as “gaddar”. Doordarshan anchor Ashok Shrivastava, in a post promoting his discussion programme on X on May 6, put up a poster with photographs of Kharge and Masood and the text: ‘Bharat taiyyar par ghar me kitne gaddar? (India is ready, but how many are traitors in the country?).’ Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X: “Doordarshan anchor posts a visual showing the Congress President and another Congress Lok Sabha MP with the word gaddar underneath”. “This is most objectionable and completely unacceptable Mr. Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. You must tender an unqualified apology to the Congress President and the MP and sack the anchor right away,” said Ramesh. Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal said: “The kind of pathetic, insulting and dangerous narrative being run by Doordarshan is unacceptable. Labelling Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Imran Masood as ‘Gaddar’ is extremely divisive and completely out of place as we face a national crisis.” “Since the day we suffered the Pahalgam terror attack, INC President Mallikarjun Kharge has extended unequivocal support to the Armed Forces and the Government, on behalf of the Congress party,” said Venugopal in a post on X. The Congress MP said that “the entire country knows the Congress party’s legacy of acting in supreme national interest, be it during the three wars that India fought against Pakistan under INC rule, or extending support to the Vajpayee Government during Kargil”. “We are together with the Government at this critical juncture, it should ensure no such scurrilous message is sent out from its official or unofficial channels, and Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw must extend an unconditional apology immediately,” said Venugopal.
