Congress files complaint against DD Journalist for labelling Kharge as ‘traitor’
New Delhi: The Congress party has filed an official complaint against Doordarshan (DD) journalist Ashok Shrivastav, condemning his programme that portrayed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as a "traitor" during a time of heightened military conflict with Pakistan. The party called the broadcast harmful to national unity and accused the state-owned broadcaster of spreading divisive and inflammatory contentx reported News Laundry.
In the complaint, Congress highlighted the seriousness of the situation, noting that the country is dealing with violent conflict with Pakistan, during which several Indian citizens and military officers have lost their lives. “During such a war-like situation, Ashok Shrivastav and DD News are airing malicious content which not only incites violence against Mallikarjun Kharge and promotes enmity towards the Congress Party, but also harms national integrity, peace and harmony,” said Congress leader Bhadauria.
The controversy began on May 6, when Ashok Shrivastav shared a promotional poster for his debate show on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The graphic featured Kharge, Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood, and Islamic scholar Arshad Madani under a caption that read: “India is ready but how many traitors are in the House?” The programme was aired on Doordarshan.
Senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal demanded an unconditional apology from Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, stating that the use of such language was unacceptable during a national crisis. “Labelling Kharge ji and MP Imran Masood ji as ‘gaddar’ is extremely divisive. The Congress president has extended unequivocal support to the armed forces and the government since the Pahalgam terror attack,” he said.
Venugopal also reminded the public of the Congress party’s historical record of supporting the government during previous wars with Pakistan, including its support to the Vajpayee-led administration during the Kargil conflict.
The inclusion of Islamic scholar Arshad Madani in the same graphic has also drawn sharp criticism. Critics questioned how a respected religious figure could be grouped with political leaders under a label that suggests disloyalty, especially by a public service broadcaster.
Other Congress leaders, including MP Manickam Tagore, also condemned the broadcast, saying it was disgraceful and called on Minister Vaishnaw to issue an apology. The Congress party accused Doordarshan of misusing public platforms for political purposes and spreading communal undertones, which they say is dangerous at a time of national security threats.
As of now, there has been no official response from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or from Doordarshan regarding the complaint.
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FIR against 4 for duping builder of Rs 1.73 crore in GST payment scam
Mumbai (PTI): A criminal case has been registered against four persons for allegedly cheating a city-based construction contractor of Rs 1.73 crore by pocketing the money he had transferred to them for GST payment.
According to complainant S K Najbul, who runs a construction firm, he came in contact with Lallan Singh, who claimed to be a chartered accountant, three years ago.
Singh allegedly offered to handle his GST payments, and Najbul transferred money to him from time to time for this purpose, the complaint said.
In August last year, Najubul found out that his GST payment was outstanding. He then learnt that Singh was in jail in connection with another case.
He also found out that one of the accounts to which he had transferred money for GST payments belonged to Singh's family member, and the GST had not been actually paid.
A First Information Report was registered against Singh, his wife Sushma Angrakh, daughter-in-law Swati Angrakh and daughter Jyoti Angrakh for alleged cheating at Mulund police station on Wednesday. No arrest has been made yet, police said, adding that probe was underway.
