Rahul Gandhi faces flak from journalists for calling ANI editor who interviewed Narendra Modi as 'pliable'

Delhi Journalist Association, an affiliate of National Union of Journalists described Rahul Gandhi’s comments as “unwarranted and unbecoming of a senior leader of a national political party.” New Delhi: Journalist organisations on Thursday criticised Congress president Rahul Gandhi for describing the Group Editor of ANI as “pliable” over her wide-ranging interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it lowers the “dignity of discourse” and “amounts to shooting the messenger”. In a statement issued in Delhi, the DJA said, “badmouthing a journalist simply because she conducted an interview with a rival political leader is in poor taste and amounts to shooting the messenger.” It described Gandhi’s comments made on Wednesday as “unwarranted and unbecoming of a senior leader of a national political party.” The Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps and Press Association issued a joint statement separately, saying the media expects “restraint from political class” at large while commenting on them. “Terms like ‘presstitute’ used by a former union minister and more recently ‘pliable’ by the president of a political party for the media are inappropriate and lower the dignity of discourse in general,” they added. The DJA said it was “not amused at use of adjective ‘pliable’ by Indian National Congress President Rahul Gandhi for the ANI interviewer who conducted a wide-ranging and long interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” It said it is “of the opinion that journalists have a professional responsibility to seek information, ask questions and get answers.