Thiruvananthapuram: The newspaper “The Hindu” has responded to the controversial interview given by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “The Hindu” has clarified that the controversial remarks in the interview regarding Malappuram have been withdrawn. It stated that those remarks were included at the request of PR agency representatives and expressed regret for not adhering to journalistic ethics.
“The Malappuram reference was not part of the original interview. It was added as per the PR agency’s request. An agency representative said it was mentioned in a previous press conference. Including something not said in the interview does not align with journalistic ethics. We regret adding such remarks in the interview,” “The Hindu” clarified.
The Chief Minister’s office has also weighed in in response to the strong criticism following the Malappuram remarks. The press secretary of the Chief Minister wrote a letter to “The Hindu” regarding the controversial comments in the interview. The letter states that the remarks were misinterpreted, leading to unnecessary controversies, and requests a clarification to end the debate.
It emphasizes that neither the Chief Minister nor the government has referenced a specific place or region. The intention was to convey that gold smuggling and money are being used for terrorist activities. It clearly states that no specific location or area was referenced. The letter criticizes the misinterpretation of the news, which has led to unnecessary discussions and controversies. The original comments indicated that gold smuggling is occurring in Malappuram and that it is being used for anti-national activities, which have triggered widespread criticism.
