NEW DELHI — In a heated turn of events, Congress spokesperson Dr. Ragini Nayak has accused senior journalist Rajat Sharma of verbally abusing her during a live television debate. The incident, which has been captured on video, has sparked significant outrage. Nayak shared the footage on social media to back her claim.
The alleged incident occurred during a discussion on the 2024 Lok Sabha election results. Nayak claims that Sharma was caught on camera using a Hindi expletive, “Kya beh****od,” directed at her, reported Vartha Bharati.
Nayak posted the video clip on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “The first video was brought to my attention on ‘X’! In this video, @RajatSharmaLive is seen using an obscene curse word against me On Air! I did a fact-check! I retrieved the raw footage of this same video from the channel (the second video). What could be a lower level of journalism than this? Do you have any answer, Rajat Sharma?”
The video rapidly went viral, eliciting strong reactions from the public and other journalists. One user criticized Sharma’s conduct, posting, “Shame on you @RajatSharmaLive. u are pathetic. How can one senior journalist behave like this?” Another user expressed, “Oh my goodness, he has clearly insulted you.” Journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani also weighed in, saying, “Did Rajat Sharma really abuse @NayakRagini on air? Unbelievable, condemnable.”
However, some netizens defended Sharma, suggesting he might have been misheard. One user wrote, “Rajat Sharma said ‘Kya Behas Karu’?”
The Congress party has demanded a public apology from Rajat Sharma. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh took to X, stating, “Rajat Sharma is a famous media personality. He has his own political leanings, but for a key spokesperson of the Congress, who is a woman, to use such derogatory language is completely unacceptable and should be strongly condemned. There is an urgent need for an unconditional public apology in this matter.”
