Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has alleged that  India Today news director Rahul Kanwal and the channel misleadingly presented an interview with her in the debate format.

The MP has demanded that the channel remove the segment which portrayed her “inaccurately”, delete the tweet referring to the “debate”, issue an apology, and run a ticker clarifying that the broadcast was “not live”.

The channel had featured the MP on Kanwal’s show Newstrack while discussing former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique’s killing with Chaturvedi and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora in a split-screen format.

Uploading a statement on X, Chaturvedi claimed that India Today’s guest coordinator had assured her that this would be one-on-one interaction with Kanwal and won’t be clubbed with a live panel or face-off or debate. 

“I was horrified to learn that I was misleadingly presented in a debate format, where I am shown as nodding and agreeing with everything stated by the other speaker from the opposition who was defending the lawlessness in the state in an attempt to salvage CM’s tattered reputation,” read the statement, which was also marked to Kallie Purie, vice chairperson of the India Today Group. 

“What has been done is not just misleading and unethical but also an attempt to fraudulently show an exchange while there was none.”

In her statement, Chaturvedi also claimed that when she pointed the same  out to Kanwal, the latter was “apologetic” but “I  was appalled that you wanted me to delete my tweet while taking no steps to correct the misleading segment”. 

The MP said that she hoped that India Today would uphold the highest standards of journalism and correct its mistakes. “Else, as a member of the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, I will be compelled to address the manipulation and misrepresentation through the appropriate forum available to me.”

This is not the first time Kanwal has courted controversy for telecasting a recorded interview as part of a debate format on his show. In September last year, Kanwal had aired a show featuring author Devdutt Pattanaik’s pre-recorded comments as part of a debate segment with author and historian Sanjeev Sanyal. The channel deleted the video and aired a revised version after backlash.

‘I wasn’t nodding to anything spoken by another guest’

Before her statement, Chaturvedi had raised the issue in another tweet, saying, “I absolutely do not appreciate what you have done here @IndiaToday and @rahulkanwal. I had recorded a one on one interaction with you and for you to now make it look like a face off is purely a fake attempt at a debate . I had even confirmed with your guest coordinator that this will not be done and was assured it won’t.”

She also shared the India Today tweet in which the channel had shared a five-minute video clip showing Chaturvedi on the left, Kanwal in the middle and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora on the right in split screens. 

In the video, Kanwal asks Deora about the law and order situation in Mumbai following Baba Siddique’s murder. For the next few minutes, Deora talks at length about the issue without any interruption from either Kanwal or Chaturvedi. Deora hailed the Mahayuti government’s record and took sharp digs at the opposition, claiming that the incident is being “politicised”. "Gangwars in Mumbai are a thing of the past...Mumbai police is one of the most professional police forces in the country.”

Chaturvedi said on X, “I wasn’t nodding to anything spoken by another guest nor was I aware you would make it look like I shared space with the guest because I don’t take lies easily or least of all nodding to brazen defence of a failed government.”

Newslaundry reached out to Rahul Kanwal and Kallie Purie for comment. This report will be updated if a response is received.

In times of misinformation, you need news you can trust. We’ve got you covered. Subscribe to Newslaundry and power our work.

The US is set to vote soon. Contribute to our new NL Sena project to help us bring a unique take on the fascinating Trump vs Harris battle and tell you stories snubbed by mainstream media outlets.