Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 15 March 2024
The Member of Parliament for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, has demanded an apology from digital news publisher ‘News Aap Tak’ after they reported his electricity bill to be Rs. 64, while showing visuals of his personal residence, thus indicating that the Electricity Bill amount for MP’s Personal Residence was Rs. 64. The MP’s representatives revealed that the actual electricity bill for his personal residence amounted to Rs. 19,057 for January 2024.
In a recent news story, ‘News Aap Tak’ showcased an electricity bill with Consumer Number C1/2761, belonging to Mr. Sharma, indicating a meager bill of Rs. 64 for January. Following this, they published another report the next morning, altering the bill amount to Rs. 63 for December 2023. Additionally, they featured a bill with Consumer Number F/792, belonging to Mr. Sharma’s mother, Mrs. Laxmi Singh, with the January 2024 bill amounting to Rs. 16, and the December 2023 bill amounting to Rs. 16 in the revised news story.
‘News Aap Tak’ raised questions about the unusually low amounts compared to those typically incurred by common residents of the island. They insinuated that Mr. Sharma might be receiving preferential treatment.
However, Mr. John Robert Babu, District President of South Andaman, addressed the media on behalf of Mr. Sharma, clarifying that the bills presented by ‘News Aap Tak’ were not from the MP’s primary residence. Instead, the bill with Consumer ID C1/2761 belonged to a disused office room at Middle Point, utilized by Mr. Sharma in the past, hence the low amount. Regarding the bill for Mrs. Laxmi Singh, Mr. Babu explained that the load had been disconnected, resulting in the nominal charge.
Mr. Robert accused ‘News Aap Tak’ of defamation and questioned their motives, particularly highlighting the nearly identical news stories with only the bill in the news story being changed and published on 12th and 13th of March 2024. He alleged a conspiracy and demanded an apology from ‘News Aap Tak’ within 15 days.
The MP’s representative has urged ‘News Aap Tak’ to rectify the error and refrain from misleading reporting in the future, emphasizing the importance of accurate journalism in maintaining public trust.
The controversy has sparked discussions regarding media ethics and the responsibility of news outlets to verify information before publication. As the deadline for an apology looms, all eyes are on ‘News Aap Tak’ to address the issue and restore credibility.