Aaj Tak journalist faces backlash for making casteist comments against Rabri Devi

Aaj Tak journalist Nishant Chaturvedi is facing the heat triggered by his opinion that he put on Twitter against RJD leader Rabri Devi.

Rabri Devi had slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his recent speech in Muzaffarnagar.

In a refernce to the interview of PM Modi with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, she asked why PM Modi did not answer a question that was asked to him about the fruit Litchi, or whether if he only answered to hero and heroines.

“Modi had come to litchi city Muzaffarpur yesterday. After learning how he eats his mangoes, people wanted to know how he ate litchis. Does he eat it by peeling, sucking or standing over the wash-basin? PM did not answer because it was not asked by a hero or heroine. He could not answer because the question was not pre-set or planned” the tweet said in Hindi.

मोदी कल लीची के शहर मुज़फ़्फ़रपुर आए थे लोगों ने उनके आम खाने के तरीक़े के बाद पूछा कि लीची कैसे खाते है?

काटकर, चूसकर या वाश-बेसिन पर खड़ा होकर? पीएम ने जवाब ही नहीं दिया क्योंकि पूछने वाला कोई हीरो-हिरोइन नहीं था? जवाब नहीं सूझा क्योंकि सवाल पूर्व निर्धारित और नियोजित नहीं था।

— Rabri Devi (@RabriDeviRJD) May 1, 2019

Replying to this tweet, Media channel Aaj Tak’s senior journalist remarked on Rabri Devi, and tweeted, “I did not know she can even tweet. Someone tell her to just say the word ‘Twitter’ three times and show us”.

अच्छा जी राबड़ी देवी जी भी ट्वीट करती है

कोई इनसे बोले कि ये बस तीन बार ट्विटर बोलकर बता दें #LoksabhaElections2019 #Bihar #lalu https://t.co/jQs0VwQptr

— Nishant Chaturvedi (@nishantchat) May 2, 2019

However, this comment received a lot of flak from social media.

Tejashwi Yadav, RJD leader and son of the former Chief Minister of Bihar Rabri Devi, also took to Twitter to defend his mother.

“Do you really endorse the classist, racist, xenophobe and casteist remark by your editor? Don’t you think he must apologise for it?” he asked Arun Poorie, Editor-in-Chief of India Today group, Aaj Tak’s parent organization.

He later again tweeted,” No word of condemnation or regret from Aaj Tak management on classist & sexist remark by its editor. If not done then it would be considered as a collective mindset of the organisation labelling Aaj Tak as a casteist channel”.

A number of Twitter users also called the act as ‘disrespectful’, and have asked the top officials at the organization to take action.