Rahul stumped? Student pulls the plug, questions media coverage of Gandhi’s speech
Mumbai: Through an open letter that has now gone viral on social media, Elixir Nahar, a student of Mount Carmel College has criticised the undue media attention on Rahul Gandhi’s interaction in the varsity campus and labelled it ‘misconstrued and exaggerated.’
One of the 2,500 girl students who attended the event, Elixir in her letter said that the media houses have focused only on the interaction, and misconstrued it, and did not shed light on the other aspects of his speech such as safety for women in the country or intolerance or corruption. “As journalists - isn’t it a basic rule not to believe what’s on the surface? Aren’t we taught to always dig deeper and find out more. The Indian media fed off a measly leaked clip from ANI and *BOOM*, cue #RahulStumped posts, memes and more. Smart alecks are raising imaginary toasts to the Mount Carmel students for helping the country immensely. Yet, almost the entire student body - and they will back me up on this - are bewildered and almost apologetic to Mr. Gandhi that their answers were also misinterpreted by the news,” the letter said.
Adding that the media was trying to fit the Congress Vice-President in a grid and were always focusing on what he did wrong. “It’s so unfortunate that before he even attempts to do anything, there are vultures circling… waiting to pounce on any potential screw-up, or churn up something out of nothing. They’ve procured this image of him in their minds and they expect him to stay in that frame, and if he ventures out, they will find some way to put him back in there, she said.
Wondering if we are just victims of good or bad PR, she ended her letter saying, “All I can say is that the majority of youth will go wherever they feel safe, where their opinions are heard, where there is tolerance and where women feel comfortable. They will side with someone who makes sure secular is not just another word in the dictionary, but a way of life once again.”
Read the complete letter here:
facebook_posts1
