Trinamool Congress politician and Member Of Parliament Mahua Moitra is receiving criticism from media for her "dui poisar press" (two paise press) remark. Two prominent Bengali news outlets have boycotted Moitra, after she was caught on camera making the said remark. The politician has however backed her comment in a tweet while her party has distanced itself from her statement.
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According to a report by Hindustan Times, the remarks were made by Moitra during a party meeting at Gayeshpur in Nadia district, in reference with some local reporters. "Who has invited this two-paisa press here? A meeting is on and everybody is eager to see their faces in papers and television," she said in the clip, that has now gone viral.
In a press release written in Bengali, The Kolkata Press Club has lodged a "strong protest" against Mahua Moitra's remarks, adding that "In a democratic set up, the importance of journalism and the respect it commands is known to all. Journalists braving adverse situations as part of their professional struggle and social responsibility are respected globally."
Defending her remarks, Moitra told The Wire that she was attending an internal party meeting at which no press was allowed "strictly". During the course of the meeting, a commotion erupted between two factions of the party workers over the area's town president. Moitra further claims that one of the factions called the local press to gain leverage, that started recording the whole commotion. "I was disappointed with the workers, because while they can tell me anything, they cannot call the press to an internal meeting. So I told them, ‘Why do you call these ‘dui poeshar press‘ here’? Someone, at a distance, recorded it,” she told The Wire.
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Moitra also shared a meme of a two paise coin on Twitter, with the text "I apologize for the mean hurtful accurate things I said, " and tweeted "My meme-editing skills are improving."
Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said at a press conference held on Tuesday at the TMC headquarters that Moitra's statement does not reflect the party's opinion. "Mamata Banerjee believes in the media and shares information with the press. We maintain a cordial relationship with the media even if you write against us," he added.
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