It must’ve been a really slow news day at The Wire office as their reported donned the hat of a detective and conjured up a story that the official Prime Minister Office YouTube channel had ‘censored’ the PM Modi speech after the All Party Meeting held last week. In its June 25, 2020 article titled “Narendra Modi Didn’t Watch His Words on Chinese Intrusion So PMO ‘Censors’ Official Video”, The Wire tries to cast aspersions that PM Modi’s statement where he said that no Chinese has intruded on Indian soil was ‘censored’ from official video upload on the YouTube channel.
It is important to note here that the video was live-streamed on television channels and across all social media channels so the ‘censoring’ if it were to be carried out, would be counterproductive, much like The Wire’s jasoosi. In its article, The Wire claims that while official YouTube channel of Narendra Modi and PMO India carried the June 19 remarks live and while these live telecasts continue to be available on these channels, the PMO India video is shorter and starts in middle of a sentence which led to a manufactured controversy by Congress last week.
Here is the video shared by Narendra Modi’s YouTube channel:
Here is the video posted on PMO India’s YouTube channel:
As can be seen in both the videos, the telecast starts in middle of a sentence. Clearly, the streaming was a little delayed because of a technical glitch. However, the Jagga Jasoos at The Wire concluded that despite the live streaming of both the videos, the one uploaded by PMO was ‘trimmed’ later and then uploaded. When multiple copies of the video and multiple live streams are already available, The Wire thinks that the PMO would just ‘censor’ this particular clip on this particular channel.
As we said, the ‘investigation’ by The Wire reporter is as counterproductive as this ‘censoring’ would have been.
When OpIndia reached out to the sources in the PMO regarding this ‘censorship’ allegations, they laughed off the allegations and said it is too much to expect journalism from The Wire. “It is laughable how allegations are being levelled without basic knowledge of how technology works. It is beneath us to even dignify these allegations with a response,” sources in the PMO said.
PM Modi’s statement on Galwan Valley standoff and manufactured controversy
On 19th June, 2020, after the All Party Meeting, PM Modi addressed the nation and apprised the citizens of the situation in Galwan Valley, Ladakh where Indian soldiers had a violent faceoff with the Chinese soldiers earlier this month. While most opposition leaders including TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee and NCP chief Sharad Pawar voiced their support to the union government, Congress was busy manufacturing a controversy where none existed.
What happened in Galwan Valley?
Twenty Indian soldiers, including Commanding Officer, were martyred during a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops on the intervening night of 15th and 16th June. The incident took place during the de-escalation process in Galwan Valley. Reports suggest that the Chinese side has also suffered casualties, including a Commanding officer. Still, there is no confirmation from the Chinese side as they have decided to keep the number of causalities a “secret in the national interest.”
