Raja’s Complement to Journalists – “You journalists are stupid.”

 Raja pushes away woman journalist

http://expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=171746

CHENNAI: Union Telecom Minister A Raja, who is now in the thick of a controversy following the airing of audiotapes relating to his telephonic conversation with public relations firm head Nira Radia, pushed away two television reporters at the Chennai airport on Friday.
As Raja landed by a flight from New Delhi around 8 pm, journalists Priyamvada of Headlines Today and Ramnath of NDTV-Hindu walked up to him and sought his reaction to the airing of the tapes. Raja tried to evade the question saying he had already spoken on that, but the journalists insisted on getting a sound byte. That was when he lost his temper. He pushed both of them and walked away. When they again caught up with him and protested, saying “You cannot treat journalists like this,” Raja’s bodyguards shoved them away.

Before getting into the car, Raja, however, gave his view: “You journalists are stupid.” Then a man in safari suit walked up to them menacingly and asked: “Are you indulging in rowdyism?”

MUJ condemns attack on media personnel

The Madras Union of Journalists (MUJ) condemned the despicable manhandling of journalists at the Chennai airport. In a statement, MUJ general secretary D Suresh Kumar said, “It is shocking and shameful that the minister’s supporters did not even spare a lady journalist and rudely pushed her aside, when she posed questions to Raja while discharging her professional duty. The party functionaries accompanying the minister manhandled a couple of other journalists and also showered abuses on them.” The MUJ demanded an apology from Raja for the incident and action against those who had roughed up mediapersons. Less than two weeks ago journalists were attacked on the Madras HC premises and their television camera equipment damaged. Despite an assurance from the chief minister in the Assembly that action will be taken against the assailants, the police are yet to act.

Responses