The Congress said on Tuesday that it is boycotting journalist Rahul Kanwal’s television show on the India Today channel after he allowed “obnoxious remarks” by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya about the assassinations of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi “go unchallenged”.
On Monday, Malviya had said on the show: “Before the Congress claims that their own leaders [Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi] got assassinated, I want to remind them that they were assassinated for the political decisions that they took.”
Indira Gandhi was killed in 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards after she ordered the Army to storm the Golden Temple to remove Sikh separatist leader Jarnail Bhindranwale who had taken refuge in the complex.
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated near Chennai in 1991 by members of the banned Sri Lankan Tamil separatist organisation Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. His killing was seen as a response to his decision to send the Indian Peace Keeping Force to the island nation in 1987 to disarm the Tamil rebels.
Kanwal’s X account on Monday posted a snippet of Malviya’s comment, which had not been taken down as of 8.10 pm on Tuesday.
“There have been very unpopular incidents that have happened with both Indira [Gandhi] and Rajiv [Gandhi],” Malviya had said. “We condemn that. But the progeny of the Gandhis [Rahul Gandhi] today is actually wishing death and assault on Prime Minister Modi.”
The comments were made in light of the assassination attempt on former United States President Donald Trump on Sunday.
“The obnoxious remarks made by BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya belittling the martyrdom of former Prime Ministers of India and other great leaders, were allowed to go unchallenged by @rahulkanwal [Kanwal] on his show televised on July 15,” said Pawan Khera, the chief of Congress’ publicity department.
Khera said that his party’s spokesperson on the show was “not allowed to complete her counter and was interjected” by Kanwal.
Khera said that the anchor had himself “amplified the same remarks” from his account on social media platform X. “On being pointed out, the anchor said his producer had tweeted it,” Khera said.
He claimed to have asked Kanwal about why the post had not been deleted.
“Having waited the entire day, we realise the anchor does not intend to delete or distance himself and the channel from the comment,” the Congress leader said.
Khera said that “some people have still not understood the meaning” of the 2024 Lok Sabha election results.
The BJP fell short of the majority in the general elections and had to depend on its allies to form the Union government. The Opposition INDIA bloc has hailed the poll result as a mandate against the BJP and its leaders.
Earlier on Tuesday, Khera had asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed Malviya’s views. “According to this BJP motormouth, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira ji, Rajiv ji, Sardar Beant Singh and the entire Congress leadership of Chhattisgarh deserved to be assassinated for the political decisions they took,” Khera said.
Congress leader Beant Singh was the chief minister of Punjab between 1992 and August 1995, when he was assassinated. He was credited for helping curb militancy in Punjab.
Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram condemned Malviya’s comment.
“Malaviya’s statement [as reported by Rahul Kanwal] seems to justify political assassinations,” Chidambaram said in a social media post on Tuesday. “What did Mr Malaviya mean when he said that ‘Congress leaders were assassinated for the political decisions they took?’”
“The assassinations of Smt Indira Gandhi and Shri Rajiv Gandhi were by terrorists or those influenced by terrorist ideas,” Chidambaram said. “Whether a political decision is right or wrong has to be decided and repudiated in political forums. Assassination is not the answer to a political decision that the assassin may consider ‘politically wrong’.”
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