Mumbai Press Club responds after Rahul Gandhi refers to journalists as 'slaves'

The Mumbai Press Club has lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his “high-handed approach” toward working journalists and has expressed “serious concern” about his repeated "targeting of journalists".

Further, the Mumbai Press club said his behaviour makes them worried about "how his party might approach the press if it were to return to power".

Slaves of their owners

The strong criticism of Rahul came after the Congress leader pointed to some reporters at an election rally in Maharashtra and called them "slaves of their owners".

However, he added that it is not their fault. “I like them. They have to work, draw salaries, fund their children's education, get food on the table, so they cannot do anything against their owners," he pointed out in a condescending manner.

In their statement posted on social media platform X, the Mumbai Press Club also asked Rahul if he ever reflected on the root causes of the challenges faced by working journalists in India and the state of journalism as a whole?

Rampant contractualisation

According to them, journalists are going through a precarious time largely due to "rampant contractualisation", which is driven in part by the neoliberal policies introduced by the Congress-led government in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

“Until then, journalists had fought for and secured significant rights, including unionization and better working conditions,” read the post on X, adding that contractualisation, however, allowed monopoly media houses to sack journalists at their own will, weakening unions and leaving journalists vulnerable.

Challenges faced by journalists

They urged Rahul to redirect his criticism toward media owners and the structural issues within the industry.

Also, they pointed that journalists are working under the ever-present threat of dismissal, along with an oversupply of unemployed and underemployed journalists.

To expect working journalists to rebel against the system at great personal risk is unrealistic, they Mumbai Press Club added.

Though they were concerned about the "immense challenges" posed by the current government's authoritarian tendencies toward the media, they are "equally concerned" to see Rahul’s repeated targeting of journalists.

"His rhetoric raises legitimate concerns about how his party might approach the press if it were to return to power. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi is rightly criticised for avoiding open press conferences, Mr Gandhi's recurrent mockery and derision of journalists also deserve rebuke," it said.