India Today says BJP ‘doesn’t come’ for TV panels in Gujarat if AAP is invited too

Allegations of the BJP boycotting the media for inviting an Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson have surfaced again. This time on India Today TV, on its election show titled State Of War.

The show, anchored by the channel’s consulting editor Rajdeep Sardesai and deputy editor Preeti Chaudhary, discussed several issues linked to the Gujarat election, ranging from Morbi tragedy, Hindutva, alienation of minorities, Patidar votes, the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the AAP’s relevance.

For its panel discussion, the show had invited BJP spokesperson Satyen Kulabkar, Congress spokesperson Anshul Avijit and senior journalist Ajay Umat. 

While Ajay Umat stated that the Muslim vote will rally behind the Congress in at least 24 seats over the AAP’s Hindutva tilt, a viewer would have expected an AAP spokesperson to respond to such remarks on a panel discussing the elections. But there was none.

However, later in the debate, Preeti Chaudhary said, “In fact, viewers, any debate that any television channel has in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party doesn’t come if there is a spokesperson from the Aam Aadmi Party there.”

Earlier in September, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had accused Hiren Joshi, a senior official in the prime minister’s office, of pressuring the media into curtailing coverage of his party.

Senior journalists and editors from Gujarat who spoke to Newslaundry had differed on Kejriwal’s allegations. While some said they treated BJP and Congress as the main players in the election, and gave AAP due coverage, others said there was pressure from the BJP to give Kejriwal’s party less space.

Watch the latest episode of the Morning Show as the panel discusses this issue.