The incident took place during a live television coverage on election results on India Today where anchor Rahul Kanwal said that Sena goons threatened SII Chief Adar Poonawalla for vaccines
Shiv Sena, one of three parties in the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition in Maharashtra have sent a notice to the India Today group demanding action against anchor Rahul Kanwal for peddling fake news and lies about the party.
Shiv Sena writes @IndiaToday owner Arun Puri demanding action against its anchor @rahulkanwal for peddling fake news & lie. Letter says Rahul Kanwal said Sena goons threatened @adarpoonawalla , this is absolute lie. It shows channel bias, actions should be taken against him. pic.twitter.com/EscFDStmkP
— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) May 3, 2021
The incident took place during a live television coverage on election results on India Today where Kanwal said that Sena goons threatened SII Chief Adar Poonawalla for vaccines. In a letter signed by Maharashtra’s Industry Minister and Sena Leader Subhash Desai and addressed to Aroon Purie, head of the India Today group, the party termed this news “untrue and defamatory” and reminded that this was the second instance after a senior Hindi news anchor on live television “voiced her bias against one of the party’s leader”
Also Read: “Head Will Be Chopped Off If I Comment About Elections Or Kumbh”: Adar Poonawalla To UK Daily
In the clip being circulated on social media after widespread outrage against the anchor, Rahul Kanwal can be heard saying “He(Adar Poonawalla) sent me some videos where Shiv Sena local hoodlums showing up outside his factory giving him the choicest of gaalis and saying humko pehle do (give us the vaccines first)”
For reference, this is what he said:
"He(Adar Poonawalla) sent me some videos where Shiv Sena local hoodlums showing up outside his factory…" https://t.co/ddbstyL7C0 pic.twitter.com/NjFvULeDzU— Zoya Rasul (@zoyarasul) May 3, 2021
Talking about the anchor’s ‘political bias’ the party in its letter also said “It reeks of malice and misinformation campaign, maybe to divert the national debate on an important day of the election result and as the country rages through COVID-19”
The Shiv Sena demanded that he apologise on “the same platform where he voiced this fake news on”
Rahul Kanwal, meanwhile clarified on Twitter that the video was issued by Raju Shetty who is the leader of Swabhimani Shektari Sanghatana (SSS) and not a leader of the Shiv Sena (SS).
Yesterday while anchoring I had spoken about a video of a leader threatening Serum Institute. The video was issued by Raju Shetty who is leader of Swabhimani Shektari Sanghatana (SSS) and not a leader of the Shiv Sena (SS). The confusion and inconvenience caused is regretted.
— Rahul Kanwal (@rahulkanwal) May 3, 2021
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