A private comment turned out to be a major embarrassment for prime-time news anchor Anjana Om Kashyap after she was heard comparing right-wing Shiv Sena’s leader Aditya Thackeray to India’s main opposition party’s former chief Rahul Gandhi.
"Ye Shiv Sena ka Rahul Gandhi Saabit Hoga, Likhke Rakh Lijiye (He's set to be the Rahul Gandhi of Shiv Sena, mark my words)," Kashyap was heard making a remark in Hindi while a video clip of Thackeray’s response to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was being live telecast.
Kashyap had to issue an apology and clarify her comments that not only ridiculed Thackarey but also appeared to be poke fun at Rahul Gandhi, who recently resigned as Congress party president after the party won just 53 seats in the 524-member parliament.
"My remark on Aditya Thackeray which is being spread with malice was out of lapse of judgment. I regret it. This, by no means, reflects the views of the channel or the network," said Kashyap in a tweet.
Her comment also drew a sharp response from Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, who asked her to focus on journalism instead of predicting the future like a "parrot on the street."
Her gaffe also evoked a sharp response from netizens who mocked her online.
Previously, Kashyap was widely criticised for entering a hospital and interrupting doctors while they provided aid to children suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.