In the wake of Rahul Gandhi’s remark at an Amravati rally about journalists being “slaves of their owners,” the Mumbai Press Club has criticised the Congress leader for “high-handed attitude” and repeated “targeting of journalists”.
In a statement issued on X, the press body that Gandhi’s statement “cloaked in concern for the plight of journalists”, carried a tone of “condescension”. “The precarious conditions of journalists today stem largely from rampant contractualisation, driven in part by the neoliberal policies introduced by the Congress-led government in the late 1980s and early 1990s.”
Rahul Gandhi's high-handed attitude toward working journalists is deeply troubling and warrants serious concern.
— Mumbai Press Club (@mumbaipressclub) November 17, 2024
At an election rally in Amaravati, Maharashtra, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, made sweeping remarks about working journalists, accusing… pic.twitter.com/14BcfAt0qz
In a rally at Amravati on November 16, Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then turned to the media, saying that he has been advocating for “constitutional reforms, caste-based census, and breaking the 50 percent reservation ceiling,” but the media “refuses to show this reality because they are under their owners’ control”.
He further said, “Journalists need salaries to educate their children and fill their stomachs. To ensure this, they are forced to obey their bosses. In a way, they are slaves. I like them, but their circumstances bind them. This is why I don’t have a fight with them. They will never show what we do or say, but they will run Modi’s propaganda 24×7.”
The Mumbai Press Club said that Gandhi “should redirect his critique toward the media owners and the structural issues within the industry” and that it is “unrealistic to expect working journalists to rebel against the system at great personal risk”.
The press body said while it acknowledges “the immense challenges posed by the current government’s authoritarian tendencies toward the media”, it is equally concerned about Gandhi’s “repeated targeting of journalists”. “His rhetoric raises legitimate concerns about how his party might approach the press if it were to return to power.”
Several X users, including journalists, also criticised Gandhi’s statements.
राहुल गांधी पत्रकारों को गुलाम कहते हैं, इसके साथ ही यह भी कहते हैं कि वो मजबूर हैं.. यह बात तो बिल्कुल सही है, पत्रकार मजबूर है.. लेकिन राहुल गांधी जहां मीडिया को सरकार के साथ होने की बात कहते हैं, वहीं कली पूरी के साथ प्रियंका गांधी तस्वीर खींचती हैं.. यह कैसे सही है? ग्राउंड… pic.twitter.com/fnNhySnMkV
— sohit mishra (@sohitmishra99) November 18, 2024
"Journalists are slaves" says Rahul Gandhi@RSF_inter @RSF_en
— Siva Parameswaran (@BBCSiva) November 18, 2024
What has been the reaction of other Press Clubs in India at #Chennai #Delhi #Bengaluru and other places?
Let's see who has got the guts to write an editorial on it #journalism #mediafreedom https://t.co/2Jxd5QEcl6
Mumbai Press Club slams Rahul Gandhi over 'Slaves of Owners' comment on journalists https://t.co/JWcYRulyY2
— Ramaharitha Pusarla (@HarithaPusarla) November 18, 2024
This is Outrageous
— Miss Roy (@FuriousSunanda) November 18, 2024
Rahul Gandhi during his speech in Amravati Maharashtra, calls the working journalists as Slaves, claims that they are working for the ruling government on instructions of their paymasters.
His comments with rude and patronizing tone has caused massive… pic.twitter.com/qlEubdER8W
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