Media sold out to Modi, will jail journalists: Kejriwal
14 Mar 2014
Aam Admi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has once again launched a scathing attack on the media, saying that it had been paid a ''heavy amount'' to promote Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
He went so far as to say will send media persons to jail when his party came to power.
Speaking at a fund-raising event in Nagpur, Maharashtra on Thursday evening, Kejriwal said, ''For the last one year our minds have been filled with Modi, Modi, Modi; and some TV channels have been saying that corruption has ended, Ram Rajya has come, this has happened, that has happened; why? Because money has been paid, TV channels have been paid a heavy amount to promote Modi.''
He further said, ''Eight hundred farmers have committed suicide in Gujarat in the last 10 years, this no one will tell; Adani (the business group) has been sold land at Re1, this no channel will tell. Arvind has taken security, he has not taken security, has taken Z category, Y category, arre bhaad main gayi teri security (the hell ith security), they will not reveal the truth about Modi,'' Kejriwal said.
Threatening action against the media, he said, ''This time, the whole media has sold itself, it is a big conspiracy. If we ever form the government, we will probe this and everybody, including media personnel, would be sent to jail.''
Kejriwal later denied having made statements against the media, after his statements were attacked by the main political parties, including the Congress, the BJP and the Left.
It is not the first time that Kejriwal has levelled serious charges against the media. The AAP has cried foul whenever the media questioned its actions but the party chose to brush aside the expose on Kejirwal fixing contents of an interview with a journalist as a non-event.
Kejriwal's fund-raising event at a five-star hotel in the city was also not without controversy. Some Nagpur residents said that those who paid Rs10,000 to dine with Kejriwal should have donated that money to widows in Vidarbha's suicide belt.