Modi’s Doordarshan interview: Prasar Bharati CEO says ‘government’s shadow’ leading to lack of credibility

New Delhi: A row erupted on Thursday over reports that Doordarshan had "censored" Narendra Modi's interview, with BJP alleging that it was due to government "pressure".

CEO of Prasar Bharti has now written to the board saying that the ‘shadow of government’ is leading to lack of credibility.

The government, however, has denied any hand in the alleged omission of the part of the interview in which Modi is believed to have said that Priyanka Gandhi was like his daughter, arguing that Prasar Bharati, which runs DD, is autonomous.

In his interview, had said that he does not take seriously Priyanka Gandhi's attack on him saying that any daughter or sister will do anything to ensure the victory of her mother and brother.

"Because a daughter is after all daughter. If she does not do it for her mother and brother, for whom will she do it," he had said.

Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari had, however, said that his ministry does not interfere in Doordarshan's news agenda as it has an "arm's length relationship with Prasar Bharati, which is an autonomous broadcaster by an act of Parliament."

The controversy intensified on Friday with Sonia Gandhi's political aide Ahmed Patel refuting the BJP's prime ministerial candidate's claims of closeness between them, saying the remarks were "baseless" and "a complete lie".

He said Modi's "ridiculous" claims of their meeting or the two sharing friendship were a "political stunt" to create "confusion" in the midst of election and offered to quit public life if there was any proof of having taken favours from the Gujarat chief minister.

"This is a political stunt to create confusion and create a cloud of doubt in the midst of elections. How can Modi be able to make friendship with me when he has never been able to strike friendship within his own party?", he said.

Insisting that he never had any meeting with Modi either in his office or at his residence nor had he taken any favour from the Gujarat chief minister, Patel said that Modi did come to his place for lunch when he was BJP general secretary in the eighties.

The BJP's PM candidate, in an interview to Doordarshan, had said: "Ahmedbhai has been one of my very good friends in Congress. He is not so now. Perhaps he is having some difficulty now and he avoids me. He does not take even my phone calls.”