BJP's Kerala Mouthpiece Publishes Pages From Rival Paper Associated With IUML
New Delhi: In an unexpected start to the year, Malayalam daily Janmabhumi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) mouthpiece in Kerala, printed the editorial page of rival newspaper Chandrika, which is the mouthpiece of Indian Union Muslim League party in the state.
The mix-up occurred in Janmabhumi’s Kannur-Kasaragod edition. “It was a technical mix-up during the printing process,” said Ganesh Mohan, Janmabhumi’s Kannur bureau chief, said.
The rival papers are processed at the same private computer-to-plate (CTP) centre in Kannur, the Hindu reported. At the CTP, the plates for Chandrika’s editorial page were accidentally placed with Janmabhumi’s plates and sent to the printers.
The error went unnoticed at Pratheeksha Printers, which also prints other local papers like Madhyamam, Suprabhatam and Veekshanam.
The BJP mouthpiece carried the Chandrika masthead on page 4 as well as three op-eds by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal, M.K. Muneer and Mohammed Shah. “Luckily, there was nothing directly targeting the BJP on the Chandrika editorial page on the day,” a BJP worker in Kasragod told the Hindu.
Other pieces inadvertently carried by the paper included an article on Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s works, and a piece on the Yelahanka demolitions.
“More than reaching a larger audience, I am glad I could connect with a different section of readers. This was truly a New Year surprise, and I will definitely remember it next year,” Thangal said.
Chandrika editor Kamal Varadoor, delighted by the goof-up and the extra publicity, said, “Getting a wider readership for our editorial page on New Year’s Day is a good omen. It shows the days ahead are brighter.”
The BJP mouthpiece had last made headlines when the Delhi high court had ordered Janmabhumi along with Kerala-based news channels The Karma News and Janam TV to remove defamatory content against journalist Dhanya Rajendran.
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