In scathing attack Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has termed as “misrepresentations and outright lies” the reports appearing in a television channel in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.
“Exasperating farrago of distortions, misrepresentations and outright lies being broadcast by an unprincipled showman masquerading as a journalist,” Tharoor said in a Facebook post on Monday night.
Exasperating farrago of distortions, misrepresentations&outright lies being broadcast by an unprincipled showman masquerading as a journalst
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 8, 2017
“I am angered that someone would exploit a human tragedy for personal gain and TRPs. I challenge him to prove his false claims in a court of law,” the former UN diplomat said.
Sunanda Pushkar was found dead at a suite in a five star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014.
According to a PTI news report, Tharoor clearly said he had nothing to hide about Sunanda’s death, and that some people were trying to use a personal tragedy for their personal gains.
“The police investigation has been going on for the last three years on Sunanda Pushkar’s death and there has been no evidence against me. There are legal authorities to investigate the case and they should be allowed to do their duty. Media should give out news based on police reports. Unfortunately, they are acting as judges,” added Mr Tharoor.
Further, Tharoor hit out at the “trial by media” at an event in Mumbai on Friday. “In ancient times, India put the falsely accused through agnipariksha, trial by fire. Today, it puts its falsely accused through trial by media,” he said in Mumbai as the chief guest at a media award function.
Tharoor also made an indirect reference to the news channel that aired 19 audio tapes in an alleged “expose” in the case. “Sadly, not everyone in the media values truth over TRPs. I’ve had occasions to say in the past couple of days that it is the job of the media to be the witness of our society. It is not the job of the media to be the prosecution, the executioner and the judge rolled into one,” he said.
The former diplomat said that media was a messenger which wielded power, but was also bound by responsibility. “Media is a mirror that exists not to flatter, but to reveal what is lacking in our society, which is flawed and must be corrected,” said Tharoor at the first edition of South Asia Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender sensitivity. He said that the media must break gender stereotypes and not reinforce them.
