Media criticism annoys Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Questions are being raised at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal’s recent diatribe against the media. He has given Lok Sabha tickets to former journalists Ashutosh from Chandni Chowk, Ashish Khetan from New Delhi and Manoram Gogoi from Jorhat, Assam. Several others, like ex scribes Shazia Ilmi, Deepak Bajpai, media coordinator and spokesperson, and Uphaar Pandey are active members of the party.

While on one side Mr Kejriwal accuses the media of being biased, on the other he uses the private chartered aircraft of a media house to attend its programme in Delhi. It can also be mentioned that Mr Kejriwal had himself pulled up his close aide and former law minister in Delhi Somnath Bharti when he asked a TV journalist, “How much money he had taken from Mr Modi.”

Some of Mr Kejriwal’s supporters felt that the AAP chief “was taking things a bit too far.” It was pointed out that before the Delhi polls, Mr Kejriwal was “all praise for the media as he was being projected in a positive light everyday.” They claimed that Mr Kejriwal and his men started “turning against the media once it started criticising the AAP.” Former journalist and AAP candidate Ashish Khetan continued to toe his boss’ line. “The media houses never question Narendra Modi in public interest,” he said.