Navika Kumar Rahul Gandhi Controversy: Journalist Navika Kumar is being trolled on Twitter for using a derogatory term against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on air. The incident took place while Kumar was hosting a panel discussion on the night of September 28 soon after former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu announced his resignation from the Congress party.
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Kumar has been receiving a lot of flack on social media for using profanity on-air, as many people pointed out that this wasn't the sort of behaviour expected from a senior journalist. The clip has gone viral on social media and the hashtag "Kachra Navika" is trending on Twitter.
On live tv Navika Kumar calls Rahul Gandhi bloody.
Here are ten things we know about the Navika Kumar Rahul Gandhi controversy:
1. On the night of September 28, while hosting a panel titled "Cong Comedy Of Errors" on TIMES NOW, Navika Kumar used the term "bloody..." while talking about Rahul Gandhi.
2. Kumar was talking about Gandhi's return from a vacation only to see the party's Punjab wing in turmoil. "And the day he returns bloody..." said Kumar, immediately realising that she had used an inappropriate term.
3. Kumar apologised for using the term, however, a clip of the incident was shared on social media in no time.
4. After Twitter began to call her out, Kumar issued a statement on social media clarifying that the momentary lapse in the flow of conversation in using an "unparliamentary word" on air was actually in the context of describing the political situation in Punjab, which Rahul Gandhi thought had been addressed before he took a break.
5. Kumar further clarified, " The context was certainly not to describe any person as is being misquoted. As can be seen in the clip, it was unintentional and immediately retracted."
6. Kumar concluded her statement by "sincerely" apologising for the lapse.
7. The panel discussion was held after Navjot Singh Sidhu tendered his resignation from the post of state unit chief of Congress. His resignation came days after Captain Amarinder Singh quit as the chief minister of Punjab which was followed by the appointment of Charanjit Singh Channi to the post by the Congress Party.
8. This isn't the first time Navika Kumar has invited social media wrath for her reporting. Just last month, Kumar was trolled for asking Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra about his relationship status.
9. In the year 2020, Kumar also faced criticism for the coverage of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death and then on the alleged Bollywood drug nexus with the reported involvement of many big names from the industry.
10. In October 2020, top production houses from the Hindi film industry, including Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, Clean Slate films, Aamir Khan productions filed a civil lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against Kumar and some other journalists for "irresponsible reporting" in wake of Rajput's death. Read more on that here.
Update: On September 29, TIMES NOW tweeted a video statement in which Navika Kumar further apologised for using a derogatory term for Gandhi. "I have done thousands of hours of anchoring, have never made this mistake in the past, but yesterday galti hui," said Kumar, adding that it was an unintentional mistake and wasn't directed towards a certain person. "The word used was in reference to a political situation," she further clarified. Kumar also added that if any person felt hurt because of her using the said word, it was not her intention to do so.
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