If Congress wants to benefit, it should boycott Rahul Gandhi not journalists: BJP
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Friday took a swipe at the Congress over the opposition INDIA bloc's decision to boycott 14 broadcast media anchors, saying shunning media or any other institution will do it no good and the party can only benefit by boycotting Rahul Gandhi as he has no strength.
There is no institution in India that this opposition alliance has not attacked, be it the Election Commission or courts, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters.
All of them are doing their work well, he said before targeting Gandhi.
"If there is someone who is not up to it and who the Congress should indeed boycott for its own benefit, then his name is Rahul Gandhi... Your leader has no strength. Who all will you boycott? If you have to boycott and move ahead, then boycott your leader."
The Congress leader speaks about 'Mohabbat' (love) but sells 'Nafrat' (hate), he claimed.
Patra asked if the list of journalists that the opposition alliance will boycott is more of a "target list", indicating that they will be slapped with criminal cases and will not be spared. If they are targeted by some people, including members of these parties, then who will be responsible, he posed.
Hitting out at the opposition for Congress leader Saifuddin Soz's and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah's pitch for talks with Pakistan, he said the remarks came soon after the death of security officials in an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir and added that the INDIA bloc should boycott leaders like them than journalists.
Soz has asked the Union government to try to understand the minds of militants, he said, condemning the Congress leader. It is such a painful and unfortunate statement, he added.
Patra said that the Congress has a history of going after the media, citing the first amendment brought by Jawaharlal Nehru to curb absolute freedom of expression, the Emergency promulgated by Indira Gandhi and the defamation law proposed by Rajiv Gandhi.
Congress leaders questioned the existence of Lord Ram while the likes of Bihar minister and RJD leader Chandra Shekhar targeted Ramchairtmanas. These leaders are not boycotted but journalists questioning these parties about corruption in states ruled by them and saying "good things" about G20 and India are boycotted, he said.
"Netas can raise questions on God but journalists can't question these netas," Patra said.
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Ruturaj scores unbeaten 67 as CSK beat MI by eight wickets
Chennai (PTI): Ruturaj Gaikwad struck his second successive half-century of the season as Chennai Super Kings cruised to a commanding eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.
Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 67 off 48 balls, stitching an unbroken 98-run stand for the third wicket with Kartik Sharma (54 not out) to comfortably chase down the target of 160 after Mumbai were stopped at 159 for seven.
Mumbai Indians' struggles continued as they only have two wins in nine matches, remaining on four points, while CSK climbed to eight points from nine games.
Earlier, MI's innings never quite gained momentum, with Naman Dhir the lone bright spot with a 57. He walked in after Will Jacks fell for one in the second over and added 40 runs for the third wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (21).
For CSK, left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad (2/26) was the pick of the bowlers, removing Ryan Rickelton (37) and Tilak Varma (5), while Anshul Kamboj (3/32) impressed with an effective spell.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 159 for 7 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 37, Naman Dhir 57; Noor Ahmed 2/26, Anshul Kamboj 3/32).
Chennai Super Kings: 160 for 2 in 18.1 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 67 not out, Urvil Patel 24, Kartik Sharma 54 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 1/20).
