Press Trust of India (PTI) has had a long illustrious history of fudging news stories to pertain to a set agenda of its masters. Adding another hall of shame moment to its extensive list of spinning narratives, BJP’s heavyweight leader in Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday schooled the news wire agency for its pre-meditated approach of omitting verbatim statements and inserting its agenda driving sensational statements.
In a yet-to-be-aired interview, Himanta Biswa Sarma was asked, if there was a conflict, what would he pick between Bharat and Quran. Naturally, Sarma picked Bharat by quoting a shloka from Ramayan ‘Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi’ meaning ‘Friends, riches and grains are highly honored in this world. (But) mother and motherland are superior even to heaven’. However, PTI put out a tweet where it changed the question and pitted the holy Geeta against Bharat, while altogether omitting the mention of the Quran.
Himanta took to Twitter and corrected PTI for its mistake. However, up until the publication of this article, the tweet still had not been removed.
“PTI must put this tweet in proper context. My question was if there is a conflict between Quran and Bharat which side so-called secular people will stand? For me it is ‘Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi’. Watch my full interview tomorrow” tweeted the BJP Minister.
PTI must put this tweet in proper context. My question was if there is a conflict between Quran and Bharat which side so called secular people will stand? For me it is
"Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi. Watch my full interview tomorrow https://t.co/Gavbp8npgk— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 17, 2021
Reported extensively by TFI in the past, PTI has come under the scanner on numerous occasions for its partisan reporting. During the peak of the Galwan valley clash with PLA soldiers near the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, the national broadcaster Prasar Bharati had accused PTI of publishing an interview of the Chinese ambassador. The interview was deliberately done in a way that painted India in a bad light. The Chinese state media used the interview heavily to target India by blaming it for the standoff.
Gave interview to PTI on #GalwanValley Incident. Onus is not on #China. We are willing & able to properly manage differences. Mutual respect&support is sure way. Suspicion&friction is wrong path. Will jointly uphold peace&stability in border areas, ensure sound&steady relations.
— Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) June 25, 2020
Prasar Bharati quickly took cognizance of the issue and threatened PTI to cancel its annual subscription. Prasar Bharati officials said that such anti-national news coverage makes it difficult to continue the relationship with the agency that the two have shared for decades.
This is how ‘neutral’ news agency PTI is reporting various chargesheets.
1. Ankit Sharma murder
2. Dilbar Negi murder
3. Nine Muslims’ murder in BhagirathiAll 2 chargesheets talk of religious hate & slogans by perpetrators, but only in 3rd case it makes it to headline pic.twitter.com/Csh06VBoIC
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) July 4, 2020
It was not the first time that PTI had crossed the line. Journalist Swati Goel Sharma has time and again exposed the love of PTI for anti-national news and inaccurate reportage.
This is how ‘neutral’ news agency PTI is reporting various chargesheets.
1. Ankit Sharma murder
2. Dilbar Negi murder
3. Nine Muslims’ murder in BhagirathiAll 2 chargesheets talk of religious hate & slogans by perpetrators, but only in 3rd case it makes it to headline pic.twitter.com/Csh06VBoIC
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) July 4, 2020
A misreporting by PTI is being repeated again and again, and Wire is the latest.
You see this figure of 92,000 calls? It’s actually supposed to be 1,457.
Let me now finally this fact-check.
But do you know that PTI never corrected the error despite emails by @CHILDLINE1098? pic.twitter.com/0zDdhrExRB— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) May 23, 2020
PTI News reported that Mehboob Ali was killed after thrashing (pic 1)
Hours later they write they erroneously wrote he was dead (pic 2 and 3).Because an overzealous twitter handle of police did not declare it fake news, PTI is spared the treatment meted to ANI. No 'thoo' on it pic.twitter.com/de6Gr8amlm
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) April 9, 2020
Read more: “Detrimental to national interest,” PTI has outlived its utility, and it needs to disbanded
Moreover, PTI’s board has no public representative meaning there is no clear accountability about the way the organization operates. All Board Members are from private media organizations. When the government wanted to appoint a political nominee to succeed PTI’s then editor-in-chief and CEO M.K Razdan in 2016, the board of directors of PTI unilaterally shut down the proposal.
Himanta Biswa Sarma is one of the tall leaders of the BJP, for he has single-handedly revived BJP’s fortunes in the North-eastern region of the country. By deliberately changing the statements of Sarma, PTI might have done a self-goal and brought negative spotlight on itself.
Prasar Bharati MUST cancel publishing rights and licenses of all THESE anti-National anti-Bharati media thugs and traitors outright!!!
Period!!