Sir — This refers to the report, “Row over editing out Modi’s civility for Priyanka” (May 2) and the editorial, “More loyal than the kingIJ” (May 3). The controversy and Ms Priyanka Vadra’s angry response, as it has now been revealed, were based on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s comments on Ms Vadra, which he never made.
Thanks to the unprofessional and unethical editing of the interview by Doordarshan and wrong reporting by the media on what Mr Modi actually said, an entirely avoidable row resulted and led to the further vitiation of the political environment.
We now know what the original interview contained. Asked to respond to Ms Vadra’s attacks on him, Mr Modi had replied that as a daughter and a sister, she was bound to speak for her mother and brother. “Beti toh beti hai”, he said, adding that he was not upset by her remarks.
In this context, Ms Vadra’s assertion that she was Rajiv Gandhi’s daughter and didn’t like comparisons, appears meaningless and childish.