After the Press Club of Leh accused the BJP of trying to bribe reporters for favourable coverage, a video has emerged in which envelopes are being handed over to scribes in a press conference held recently in Leh.
In the CCTV clip, BJP legislator Vikram Randhawa is seen handing out envelopes to journalists in the presence of the party’s state unit chief Ravinder Raina. the authenticity of the video cannot be verified.
On Friday, members of the Press Club in Leh had written to the local election officer, accusing Mr Raina of trying to bribe journalists at Hotel Singge Palace where he addressed a press conference the day before.
The BJP has denied the allegations. The party said the lawmaker was handing out invites to the journalists for Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s rally in the region. It said it will sue the journalists for defamation.
Reacting over the development, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti said despite solid proof why is there radio silence regarding the matter.
If a Congress / TMC / BSP / SP leader was caught trying to pay off media with such solid evidence, media would’ve gone hammer & tongs about it. Why the radio silence & no hashtags? Glad to know that some have the guts to refuse. Proud of Avny Lavasa who put them in their place. https://t.co/856rcDM8dI
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 8, 2019
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah also retweeted the letter of complaint by the Leh Press Club.
In light of the CCTV footage purported to show BJP leaders attempting to bribe journalists in Leh I’m retweeting my original tweet with the letter of complaint by the Press Club Leh. Action must follow. https://t.co/ki9nCelpQu
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 8, 2019