Mischievous and fictitious: Anurag Thakur slams New York Times Op-Ed on Kashmir press freedom

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, Friday, slammed the New York Times for its ‘mischievous and fictitious’ opinion piece on the freedom of press in Kashmir, accusing the US-based daily of “spreading lies” about India.

Taking to Twitter, the BJP Minister launched a scathing attack against the NYT, claiming that the newspaper had long ago dropped all pretensions of neutrality while publishing anything about India. He claimed that NYT’s opinion piece on Kashmir press freedom is “mischievous and fictitious”, alleging that it was published with the sole motive of spreading an anti-India propaganda and undermining the country’s democratic institutions and values.

Thakur’s fiery response came after an NYT opinion piece claimed there were alleged curbs on the freedom of press and information flow in Kashmir valley.

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Thakur claimed that this was a continuation of the policy adopted by the NYT and other like-minded foreign media outlets of spreading lies about India and defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding “such lies can’t last long.”

Thakur further accused “some foreign media” outlets of nourishing a grudge against India and PM Modi, alleging that these institutions have “systematically” trying to peddle lies about the Indian democracy and the country’s pluralistic society.

Anurag Thakur stressed that press freedom is a fundamental right in India and thus sacrosanct while also slamming the “agenda driven media” for attempts to preach “grammar of democracy.”

Condemning the “blatant lies” about the freedom of press in Kashmir in the NYT opinion piece, the Minister said that Indians won’t allow such mindsets to run their decisive agenda on the country’s soil.

A New York Times opinion piece by a guest author alleged that freedom of press in the valley has gradually deteriorated under the PM Modi-led BJP regime, especially since the abrogation of Article 370 which accorded formerly special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

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