The Asian Age

Rahul: Can’t hate those who stir hate against me...

- AGE CORRESPOND­ENT

Citing a news portal’s sting operation, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday derided the media for allegedly stirring hate against him. He cited the sting operation that revealed 17 media firms were ready to push communal reports for cash without even raising a bill.

Mr Gandhi tweeted: “I can never hate those who try to stir up hate against me, with fake stories and their cunning twisting of facts. For them it’s just business; hate sold for a price, as the Cobrapost expose shows. I’m blessed and honoured that they make their livelihood­s spinning lies about me.”

I can never hate those who try to stir up hate against me, with fake stories and their cunning twisting of facts. For them it’s just business... — Rahul Gandhi,

Congress chief

Citing a recent sting operation by a news portal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi derided the media for allegedly stirring hate against him and said he was honoured they made their livelihood spinning lies about him. The sting operation by news portal Cobrapost had allegedly revealed that 17 media firms were ready to push communal reports for cash without even raising a bill for it. “I can never hate those who try to stir up hate against me, with fake stories and their cunning twisting of facts. For them it’s just business; hate sold for a price, as the Cobrapost expose shows. I’m blessed and honoured that they make their livelihood­s spinning lies about me,” Mr Gandhi tweeted.

The Congress has been marinating on its Twitter handle that the “mainstream media’s silence on the “sting” is a telling tale on its own credibilit­y”. The video of the sting operations purportedl­y showed that representa­tives of many of these media companies are ready to show stories to suit a particular slant.

Representa­tives of 17 media companies shown in the “sting” seem to agree to push a pitch “soft Hindutva” agenda, and closer to the upcoming general elections, many of them are seen willing to run content that would have shown Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati in a negative light. Most of the media representa­tives shown in the “sting” were either owners of regional news outlets or worked as senior executives on the businesssi­de of the media companies.

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Rahul Gandhi

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