Amethi/New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) In a scathing retort to Narendra Modi's reported "daughter" comment, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday said she was the daughter of late former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, while controversy-hit Doordarshan clarified there was no "deliberate editing" of the BJP prime ministerial candidate's interview.
"My father is Rajiv Gandhi. He laid down his life for the country. He cannot be compared to any other person," Priyanka Gandhi, the daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, said angrily in Amethi.
She was reacting to a reported comment of Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Modi in an interview aired on Doordarshan April 27 that Priyanka Gandhi was like a daughter.
Following a media report that said Modi's comment made during the interview to Doordarshan was edited out, the BJP charged the ruling Congress with interference in the functioning of the public broadcaster.
But Doordarshan clarified there was "no deliberate editing or omission" of any part of Modi's interview.
"Wherever editing was done was for technical reasons and during post-production," Doordarshan said in a statement.
Priyanka Gandhi, who has been unsparing in her attacks on Modi during political campaigns in favour of Sonia Gandhi and her brother Rahul Gandhi, also said that she did not appreciate the comparison with her father, who was assassinated by a Tamil Tiger human bomb in 1991 during an election rally.
Asked by reporters if she was offended by Modi's comments, Priyanka said: "No, it doesn't really anger me... But enough is enough. I don't get offended by anything anyone says."
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari denied any interference in the state-run broadcaster, saying Prasar Bharati, under which Doordarshan and All India Radio function, is kept at "arms length" by the government.
"Prasar Bharati is an autonomous broadcaster and is governed by an act of parliament. The ministry of information and broadcasting has an arms-length relationship with the broadcaster. We do not interfere in their news agenda," Tewari told Times Now news channel.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram wondered if Priyanka Gandhi would appreciate Modi's reported paternal sentiments.
"I am happy that Modi considers Priyanka Gandhi as his daughter, but am not sure if she will be happy to consider Modi as a father figure," he said.
Latching onto the controversy to attack the Congress, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said the interview should have been played out in full and "there should not have been any tinkering".
Another party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said: "Doordarshan already has been pressurised to function like a government mouthpiece."
Prasad said if Doordarshan had taken the interview and altered it under pressure, the country was entitled to know the answer.
"If Narendra Modi chose to give the interview to Doordarshan, I think the entire interview should have been played," Prasad told Times Now.
In its statement, Doordarshan said it had recorded the interview with Modi at Gandhinagar April 26 in a 'walk the talk' format.
"This was a three-camera production as Modi gave this interview while walking on his lawns and required a lot of post-production (editing) before putting it on air. The team came back from Gandhinagar in the late night of April 26 and after that, post-production was done to telecast it in a fixed slot," it said.
DD News said the interview was telecast at 9.30 p.m. April 27, with a repeat telecast at 3 p.m. April 28.
"There was no interference or control from any authority in the entire process. Important portions of the interview were used in all the important bulletins of DD News also. There was no attempt to downplay the interview, rather it was given wide pre-telecast publicity and also repeated the next day, April 28. The clips were also used in news bulletins," it said.
Tractor Parade of 26 January: 20,000 tractors arrived at Tikri, Sindhu, and Ghazipur border; Barricades are being removed, only three people are allowed on a tractor
After the farmers' organizations and Delhi Police agreed on the January 26 tractor parade, preparations are in full swing at the Sindhu and Tikri border. Continuation of the arrival of tractors from
Delhi Air Pollution: Apart from the mask, do this small measure to prevent pollution, dust particles will not be able to go inside
These days, the problem of air pollution is being seen in many cities in North India. The air in many cities has become toxic. His AQI has become so high that even breathing has become difficult. The
First Republic Bank: JP Morgan will buy First Republic Bank, depositors will get full money
America's 14th-largest First Republic Bank has been acquired after failing banking operations. JPMorgan Chase & Co won the bid to acquire the bank. JP Morgan will acquire First Republic's assets,
IND vs ENG: Will Team India be able to make a comeback in the series? England has been defeated twice after falling behind.
The Indian team has fallen 0-1 in the five-Test series after losing the first Test at the hands of England. It has not been easy to make a comeback after falling behind in a Test series, but it is not
Infection and 14616 deaths in 192 countries: New Zealand doubles cases in 48 hours, lockdown in country since Wednesday
More than 192 countries of the world are vulnerable to coronavirus. The epidemic has killed 14,616 people. On the other hand, in the last 48 hours in New Zealand, the corona cases have doubled. After
Outcry over oxygen in Delhi, only a few hours of stock is left in these hospitals
The growing cases of corona infection in the country's capital, Delhi, where the reduction is not being named. At the same time, the shortage of oxygen has created double trouble. St. Stephen's
Abdul Rehman Makki: China pulled back the hand of friendship with Pakistan! Mecca declared global terrorist in UNSC
China has given a big blow to its close friend Pakistan. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has declared Pakistani terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki a global terrorist. China had always been
India to test flight reusable rocket soon
New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) India will conduct a test flight of a reusable launch vehicle by the second quarter of this year to reduce the cost of satellite launches, union minister Jitendra Singh
Financial Planning: How should be your financial planning in the new financial year, know the expert opinion
The current financial year is about to end and now from April 1, we will step into the new financial year. In such a situation, every person must do financial planning in a new way and set new
Have stated my position earlier: Manmohan Singh
New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said he has made his position clear to the CBI on the allocation of coal blocks."I have respect for the judicial
