Congress spokesperson accuses journalist of using obscene language during live debate
India TV denied; A clarification was issued on behalf of Rajat Sharma by India TV's legal head.
NEW DELHI- Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak has accused India TV’s editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma of abusing her on air. She alleges that the telecast video of the program was uploaded on the channel’s YouTube channel but later the objectionable part was edited and removed.
However, India TV has issued a clarification on behalf of Rajat Sharma through a tweet by India TV’s legal head Ritika Talwar. In the clarification, she has completely rejected these allegations.
Actually, on June 4, during the election results, Ragini Nayak was invited as a Congress spokesperson in a program on India TV. On June 10, Ragini tweeted on X that this video was brought to her attention on Twitter itself. She accused Rajat of ‘abusing’ her in the video.
पहला वीडियो ‘X’ पर मेरे संज्ञान में लाया गया !
इसमें @RajatSharmaLive On Air मुझे एक भद्दी गाली देते हुए दिख रहे हैं !
मैंने Factcheck किया !
चैनल से इसी वीडियो का Raw Footage निकाला (दूसरा वीडियो)पत्रकारिता का इससे गिरा हुआ स्तर क्या होगा ?
कोई जवाब है आपके पास रजत शर्मा ? pic.twitter.com/0GrQgYIPrl
— Dr. Ragini Nayak (@NayakRagini) June 10, 2024
After this, India TV and Rajat Sharma started getting a lot of criticism on social media. After this, India TV’s legal head Ritika Talwar issued a clarification on behalf of chief editor Rajat Sharma on India TV’s X account. In which it was said that the eminent journalist Rajat Sharma has been of very gentle and sweet behavior in his professional and personal life. Making such allegations against him is malicious and insulting. The allegation that Sharma was abusive on air is completely baseless and false.
Warning to @NayakRagini @Pawankhera @Jairam_Ramesh
I am writing to you on behalf of India’s most respected journalist and television presenter Mr. Rajat Sharma, who has been in this profession for more than four decades and has a very high degree of credibility and reputation.…
— India TV (@indiatvnews) June 11, 2024
Meanwhile, the incident has ignited a storm of reactions on social media, with many condemning Sharma’s behavior. The hashtag #ShameOnYouRajatSharma began trending, with users expressing their disappointment and calling for accountability.
However, some defended Sharma, suggesting that he might have said, “Kya Behas Karu?” which translates to “What is here to argue about?” rather than the offensive phrase. Despite this defense, the controversy remains heated.
