Taking a dig at Narendra Modi's gag order to BJP leaders, ally Shiv Sena on Tuesday, 24 April, said such warnings in the past have not yielded any positive results, and the Prime Minister himself gave "masala" to the media.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which often criticises its senior ruling ally on various issues, said BJP leaders who speak out of turn were in fact "inspired" by Modi.
Modi on Sunday, 22 April, had asked BJP leaders and ministers to refrain from making "irresponsible" statements, saying such comments hurt the party's image.
Such gag orders have been given on earlier occasions too at party meetings, “but they have turned futile as BJP leaders continue to speak whatever comes to their mind”, an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said.
Sharpening its attack on Modi, the Sena said, “BJP leaders and ministers must have been inspired by our Prime Minister himself to speak whatever comes to their mind.”
Till recently, Modi himself gave ‘masala’ to the media. Now the media feels the spices, pickle and papad given by Rahul Gandhi and others are better.Saamana
The Sena publication also criticised Union Minister and BJP leader Santosh Gangwar for his reported comments that a "hue and cry" should not be created over one or two rape cases in a big country like India.
The ‘Masala’ BJP Ministers Were Pulled Up For
Right from saying that Darwin was “scientifically wrong” to claiming that people could use the Internet while Mahabharata was being fought, BJP leaders have been putting their feet in it. They also seem to have spoken recklessly on subjects as sensitive as terrorism and rape. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tired of his party making the wrong noise, issued a warning.
According to an NDTV report, PM Modi on Sunday, 22 April, rebuked lawmakers across the country through a video-conference, reminding them that their actions were affecting their own image as well as the party’s.
We make mistakes and give ‘masala’ to the media... as if we are great social scientists and experts to analyse issues... the moment you see a camera you start speaking. So this half-baked stuff is picked up.PM Narendra Modi
According to ANI, PM Modi also said that the media will “obviously use parts of your sentences” as per their convenience and that it isn’t them at fault.
They’ll (media) obviously use parts of your sentences as per their convenience. It isn’t media which is at fault. We’ll have to control ourselves. Only they must give statements who’ve been given responsibility to do so.
This is not the first time that PM Modi has warned his lawmakers. However, reported NDTV, this time it comes while the nation is coping with reports of guesome rapes and murders in which BJP leaders have come across as being in support of the accused.
On Sunday, junior finance minister Santosh Gangwar asserted that the Central governmental is actively taking action against incidents of rape, but also said that a “hue and cry should not be created” if “one or two incidents” are raked up in a big country like India. He later, however, issued a clarification asserting that he was saying that action should be taken even in rare cases instead of what it came across as.
(With inputs from NDTV.)
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