Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday slammed India Today TV for showing Uddhav Thackeray as a Mughal soldier in a sword fight with Eknath Shinde, shown as a Maratha, in an animated video which was broadcast during one of their programmes.
The animated video has been criticised on social media for its apparent bias.
An X user, under the handle "Mahua Moitra Fans," accused the channel of "bootlicking" and promoting Shinde as the stronger figure.
Chaturvedi also weighed in on the animated video, stating, "And the @IndiaToday team continues its propaganda. Some guilt?"
Another X user @Anujalankar9 condemned the video and said, "No shame to this channel and entire group. Rahul Kanwal is a disgrace. Shame on you?"
"Rahul Kanwal is an Agent of BJP and Chatukar of Modi," said @hemlatamak.
@anubhavpatil said, "Sick mentality I think MVA should boycott their channels and should not give bite or interview also..."
Meanwhile, Chaturvedi expressed strong outrage against India Today TV for misleadingly presenting her in a debate format during a segment discussing the murder of Baba Siddique in Mumbai.
In a letter addressed to Rahul Kanwal, News Director at India Today TV, Chaturvedi criticised the channel for airing her pre-recorded interview as part of a debate without her consent.
She was assured that her interaction would be a one-on-one segment but was instead shown in a format where she appeared to be agreeing with another speaker who was defending the Maharashtra government’s response to the murder. Chaturvedi labelled this presentation as "misleading and unethical."
“This segment, which was a SIMSAT recorded at 5 pm in my office, was horrifically manipulated to show me nodding in agreement with the other speaker, despite assurances that there would be no shared space in a debate format,” Chaturvedi wrote.
Chaturvedi further stated that Rahul Kanwal had apologised privately but failed to take corrective public action. She demanded that India Today remove the misleading segment, delete associated tweets, issue a public apology, and clarify through a ticker that her participation was a pre-recorded interview, not a live debate.
The growing criticism has put India Today under scrutiny for its handling of political coverage in Maharashtra, particularly at a time when the state is gearing up for crucial Assembly elections.
