New Delhi: After left-leaning journalist and #MeToo accused Vinod Dua tried to spread agenda-driven confusion amid ruling BJP by pigeon-holing an interview with senior NDA minister Nitin Gadkari to prove that he was on the edge of rebelling against the party, Dua’s defence comes not from without, but within the BJP and RSS ranks!

Interestingly, senior volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and currently serving on the BJP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) Seshadri Chari played Santa Claus for Dua. Chari gave out certificates of bona fides to Dua and the little-known HW News on which the tampered and doctored interview was run.

In yet another item aired on HW News, sitting with Sujit Nair, the managing editor of the news outlet, Chari exonerated Dua of any complicity in creating and proffering fake news.

Also Read: Vinod Dua's lie exposed: #MeToo-accused journalist edits video to claim Gadkari has rebelled

“I have known HW News for 12 months, for a-year-and-a-half now. It is a very centrist digital platform; it has no political leanings; and it has no political agenda. And in my long journalistic career I know that things just happen due to oversight. This is one such case. And I don’t think you had any ulterior motive of defaming anybody,” Chari said.

“In this particular case I can assure you that Mr Vinod Dua has no intention of doing anything wrong. I think what he has said or done is based on what he got. So I believe that in this case Mr Dua had no bad intention. I think Mr Gadkari’s interview was fantastic and we must forget this incidence now. Put it to rest and go about with our own activities,” Chari added.  

As a corrective step, Nair said, they had pulled the showdown. Nair said the mistake was an honest one and not intentional at all. “Mr Vinod Dua does a show for us. Erroneously we sent him only the promo clippings. The promo clippings gave him a completely wrong idea of what the interview was about. That was where we're at fault. Was this intentional? No, definitely not. It was a genuine error. Mr Dua also did not propagate any propaganda as he was only going by what we gave him.”

While Dua’s interview of Gadkari was aired on December 21, Dua had claimed in episode seven of his video blog, titled ‘The Vinod Dua Show’ that Gadkari had rebelled against his own government.