THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan dismissed reports of the government appointing a PR agency for an interview with the national daily ‘The Hindu’.
The Chief Minister also stated that the interview was given to The Hindu through the son of a former MLA. CM also confirmed that the government would not move ahead with the case against the newspaper.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan:
“A youngster, son of former Alappuzha MLA TK Devakumar, asked my time for an interview with ‘The Hindu’. I also had no qualms about giving an interview to a national daily. On the scheduled day, two people came for an interview and the journalist introduced herself as a native of Ottapalam. I answered all the questions she asked me. One of the questions was regarding Anvar which I cared not to answer because I had already done that in a press conference.
The journalist even complimented me for giving lucid answers despite the tough nature of the questions. But when the paper got published, they included parts I have not talked about. I am not the kind of person who simply blames some organization or individual. I can be very clear that the government have not spent even one rupee on any PR agency.
Devakumar has been with me since childhood and is known for his clear political stance. When he recommended me for an interview, I gave a yes nod. Midway through the interview, another man came into the room and I didn’t know who he was. Later, I got to know that it was a PR agency fellow. ‘The Hindu’ accepted their mistake because they had the conscience to follow true journalistic rigour. It is honourable that they came forward to express apology. Kerala media would never do such a thing.”