PM says he’s fine, Zee moves 2 staffers

Strongly rebutting reports about his ill-health, Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee said he is absolutely fit. The PM was referring to reports air...

Strongly rebutting reports about his ill-health, Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee said he is absolutely fit.

The PM was referring to reports aired on private television channel, Zee, that he fell down at an airport in Jammu. ‘‘I know you float news but do you concoct also? This is not fair,’’ he retorted. ‘‘Don’t you see I am bhala changa (hale and hearty)?’’ he asked the people gathered around him.

The Zee News today suspended two of its employees, including its Jammu correspondent, for flashing out incorrect news on the PM’s health. ‘‘I have suspended our Jammu correspondent and Delhi co-ordinator with immediate effect,’’ director Zee News Laxmi Goel said today.

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She said the channel had carried a news item that the PM was unwell on its scroll for 40 seconds in its morning bulletin, but changed it immediately on hearing that his health was fine. This was also announced verbally by the anchors, she said. ‘‘Journalists should be responsible for their reports and we are a responsible channel,’’ she added.

Meanwhile, India today termed as ‘‘absolute fiction’’ a report in Pakistani Urdu daily Jung claiming it had an exclusive telephone conversation with the PM from Srinagar. ‘‘It is absolute fiction,” MEA source said.

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