Doordarshan sparks row with ‘Gaddar’ poster featuring Kharge, Imran Masood, Arshad Madani
New Delhi, May 8: The Congress party has launched a sharp attack against public broadcaster Doordarshan for promoting a prime-time debate programme using a controversial poster that labelled several prominent figures—including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood, and Islamic scholar Arshad Madani—as “gaddar” (traitors). The party called the move insulting, divisive, and unacceptable during a time of national crisis, demanding an immediate apology from Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The outrage began after Doordarshan anchor Ashok Shrivastava shared a promotional poster on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on May 6. The graphic included the faces of Kharge, Masood, and Madani with the caption: “India is ready but how many traitors are in the House?” This was in reference to Shrivastava’s debate show aired on Doordarshan, a government-funded broadcaster that is expected to maintain neutrality and uphold public service broadcasting standards.
Congress leaders strongly objected to the tone and content of the promotion, questioning how a national broadcaster could resort to such provocative and polarising messaging, especially when the country is facing security challenges.
“Unacceptable and Dangerous,” Says Congress
Reacting strongly, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said, “The kind of pathetic, insulting and dangerous narrative being run by Doordarshan is unacceptable. Labelling Kharge-ji and MP Imran Masood-ji as ‘gaddar’ is extremely divisive and completely out of place as we face a national crisis.”
Venugopal also pointed out that the Congress president has been working closely with the government and security forces since the Pahalgam terror attack. “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. Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw must extend an unconditional apology immediately,” he said in a post on X.
Targeting of Muslim Leaders Raises Concerns
What has further raised eyebrows is the inclusion of Islamic scholar Arshad Madani in the same graphic. Madani is the principal of the prestigious Darul Uloom Deoband and is a respected religious figure. Critics have asked how a public service broadcaster could justify grouping opposition political leaders and religious scholars under a label that questions their loyalty to the country.
Several users on social media, along with opposition leaders, highlighted that the visuals and captions used in the promotion were not only inflammatory but also carried communal undertones.
Manickam Tagore Also Demands Apology
Echoing Venugopal’s concerns, Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu Manickam Tagore said, “Calling Leader of Opposition @kharge ji and Lok Sabha colleague @ImranMasood ‘Gaddar’ on Doordarshan is disgraceful & divisive. Congress stands with the nation in this crisis. Reel minister @AshwiniVaishnaw must apologise unconditionally.”
Criticism Over Use of Public Platform for Political Gimmicks
Political observers and media experts have also raised concerns over the editorial independence of Doordarshan. “This is not just about one show or one anchor,” said a senior media analyst. “The question is whether a taxpayer-funded broadcaster can be allowed to run such political propaganda. When opposition leaders and respected religious figures are openly vilified on government platforms, it’s a serious blow to democratic discourse.”
There has been no official response yet from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or from Doordarshan regarding the controversy.
As the outrage grows, many have demanded clarity on who approved the visuals and messaging for the programme. Opposition parties say this episode reflects a growing trend of weaponising state media to discredit dissenting voices and minority communities, even during times of national security concerns.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
