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Congress Party has asked the country's media to boycott the likes of hardliner regional leader Raj Thackeray of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for threatening to shut down Hindi news channels. "It is my sincere appeal to the media specially the news channels to boycott such people who incite separatist ideologies through mass communication. They are in the position to make inflammatory statements because the media displays it in the headlines. If you start boycotting such people it will put an end to such blatant statements," said Tewari. Echoing similar views, Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury said: "I don't think Mr. Raj Thackeray is qualified to say that the media will be closed, nobody can close down any media no matter how much they wish for it. It is not possible." However, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has assailed the Congress for letting Thackeray to adapt such an attitude against people of Hindi heartland. "I think this entire incident is sponsored by the Congress Party. The regional leader knows beforehand about what letter is being written by the Government of Bihar to the Government of Maharashtra. The Maharashtra state government and Chief Secretary reveals information later, Thackeray knows things first. So this gives room to a lot of doubt and questions," he said. "His statements are irresponsible, these attacks on media- what is the difference then between the attacks in Azad Maidan and this. Someone is using bullets while the other is using language to attack the media. Their mentality and psychology is the same," he added. Meanwhile, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) General Secretary Prakash Karat demanded strict action against Thackeray. "These statements are against the nation. All citizens of the country, whether they are from Bihar, Punjab or any other state, they have the right to settle and work in any part of India . Action should be taken against him for the statements made by Raj Thackeray," Karat told media in Jalandhar. Alleging that Hindi news channels were 'distorting' his statements, Thackeray on Sunday said that they should not air the news without understanding the issues. Thackeray said that "I want to tell the Hindi news channel to first understand the issue before it is broadcast... otherwise we know how to stop it." Thackeray's reaction comes after some Hindi news channels and leaders of JD(U), RJD and BJP from Bihar attacked him for his remarks on August 31 that he would brand Biharis as infiltrators and make them leave Maharashtra.

Congress asks media to shun Raj Thackeray for threatening to shut down Hindi news channels