New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India (EGI) strongly condemned the BJP Monday for using its official social media handles to portray journalists who question the government as ‘Dimagi Naxal’ (Intellectual Naxal), taking particular exception to the targeting of senior journalist and former Guild president Rajdeep Sardesai.
In a statement, the Guild said the move was especially disturbing because the attack came not from fringe elements but from the official social media accounts of the ruling party. It described such attacks as undermining India’s democratic credentials and further eroding media freedom guaranteed under the Constitution.
The condemnation follows remarks made by BJP MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi at a press conference. Trivedi had claimed that ‘Intellectual Naxals’ sympathised with and provided intellectual support to Naxals, celebrated the deaths of security personnel, and advocated street action instead of seeking solutions through the parliamentary process.