The editor of Kolkata-based newspaper The Telegraph has alleged that Union Minister Babul Supriyo called him on Saturday and spoke using abusive language. According to The Telegraph editor R. Rajagopal, as reported by his newspaper, Supriyo first asked for an ‘amicable apology’ but when he resorted to using expletives then he refused to apologise.
The newspaper reported that Supriyo was angry claiming that a report by The Telegraph had accused the BJP leader of elbowing a girl student of the Jadavpur University during the violence on the campus on Friday.
Supriyo reportedly told Rajgopal that he was recording his phone conversation and wanted an ‘amicable apology.’ When Rajgopal asked him to point out specific editorial lapses for which his newspaper should apologise, Supriyo allegedly made a reference to the elbowing complaint.
Rajgopal refused to apologise stating that his newspaper had not accused him of elbowing a girl student in its reportage. Supriyo then reminded The Telegraph editor that he was speaking to a ‘central minister.’ Rajgopal reportedly told him that this did not make any difference to him prompting the BJP MP to ask, “Aren’t you a gentleman?”
According to the newspaper, its editor replied, “I am not a gentleman, I am a journalist…. You may be a central minister but I am also a citizen of this country.” At one point, Rajgopal said that Supriyo said, “Are you sold out? Are you f***ing sold out?” According to The Telegraph, Supriyo also used at least one more expletive.
Supriyo on Saturday had posted a video stating that he had not misbehaved with any girl at the university. He wrote, “This is the video which shows: 1. I WASN’T elbowing anyone rather I ws being pushed & manhandled with my shirt torn
2. It wasn’t a girl either-it was BEARDED GUY as clearly seen in the VDO
If @Telegraph doesn’t apologise tomorrow for their false biased reporting, I’ll sue them.”
This is the video which shows:
1. I WASN’T elbowing anyone rather I ws being pushed & manhandled with my shirt torn
2. It wasn’t a girl either-it was BEARDED GUY as clearly seen in the VDO
If @Telegraph doesn’t apologise tomorrow for their false biased reporting, I’ll sue them pic.twitter.com/scFd7iHjWa— Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) September 21, 2019
Supriyo later took to Twitter to write, “MrRajagopal, the arrogant editor of @ttindia jst abused me in filthy lingo on the Telephone when I called him asking him 2 print an amicable small apology for falsely publishing a first page report accusing me of grabbing the shirt of a JU student when it’s the other way round.”
Many are wondering if Surpiyo will make the audio of his phone conversation with Rajgopal public in light of The Telegraph’s serious allegations of the union minister using abusive language for a senior journalist.
The newspaper said that it decided to publish a report on Supriyo’s conversation with Rajgopal because ‘the phone call goes far beyond an exchange between two individuals. The call shows how a representative of the government was employing intimidation tactics, cloaked as a request for an “amicable small apology”, to make a newspaper fall in line.’