PMO calls Washington Post's article on PM unfair and biased

06 September, 2012

Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a strong protest has called the story on Dr. Manmohan Singh by the US daily Washington Post as unfair and biased. But Simon Denyer, India Bureau Chief of the Post and author of the article has said that he stands by his report.

IN A protest letter addressed to the Washington Post's India bureau chief and author of the article, Simon Denyer, the Communications Advisor to the PMO Pankaj Pachauri called his conduct unethical and unprofessional, while clarifying that the PMO does not complain about criticism of the government which is a journalist's right, as per the letter published on Washington Post's website.

The Communications advisor said that Denyer never got in touch with the PMO to get the other side of the story. PMO also claimed that the interview request by Simon was never denied but it was kept only on hold till the time monsoon session of the Parliament was over.

PMO also claimed in its letter that Denyer had apologized three times regarding the article unlike his statement to Indian media that he never apologized.

Replying to the PMO's letter, Denyer said that he stands by his story. He said that he had put request for the interview with the PM on three occasions, and also with T.K.A Nair, Advisor to the Prime Minister, and with Pulok Chatterji, Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. He said that the requests were either ignored or declined, as per his response posted on Post's website.

Global Post, an American online news media has termed the PMO's protest as a gaffe. It said that if the Prime minister, or the Prime Minister's Office, wants to share the government's side of the story, they have a million ways to do so, all of them more effective and less embarrassing than a "shame on you" letter to the bureau chief of the Washington Post.