It’s baffling how a so-called “neutral” journalist can use their position under the guise of balance, only to blatantly shield their preferred politicians even when they’re caught red-handed making false claims. The extent to which some in the media will stoop to defend their political favourites is truly remarkable. One such figure is pro-Congress and Dravidianist journalist Arvind Gunasekar.
At the 2025 Annual Legal Conclave, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi made a rather bizarre claim. He alleged that the late senior advocate and former Law Minister Arun Jaitley had once threatened him for opposing the farm laws. Rahul Gandhi said, “I remember when I was fighting the farm laws, Arun Jaitley ji was sent to me to threaten me. He told me “if you carry on opposing the govt, fighting the farm laws, we will have to act against you”. I looked at him and said “I don’t think you have an idea who you are talking to’”
#WATCH | Delhi: At the Annual Legal Conclave- 2025, Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "I remember when I was fighting the farm laws, Arun Jaitley ji was sent to me to threaten me. He told me "if you carry on opposing the govt, fighting the farm laws, we will have… pic.twitter.com/8RJWmHo9fE
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2025
The problem? Arun Jaitley passed away in 2019, while the farm laws were only introduced in Parliament in 2020. And now, in 2025, Rahul Gandhi claims to have been threatened by someone who was no longer alive at the time the laws were introduced. This clear contradiction was immediately pointed out and mocked widely.
However, Arvind Gunasekar, unable to bear the criticism of his political idol, rushed to his defense with a weak attempt at damage control. He tweeted that, “I think Rahul Gandhi meant Land Acquisition Act, 2015. Congress spearheaded the protests against the proposed Land Acquisition Act, 2015. Remember, then Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley urged the States to pass the similar Land Acquisition Bills in their respective Assemblies and get President assent under Article 254(2) as then BJP Government couldn’t pass the Bill in the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi said the same in 2024 too.”
I think Rahul Gandhi meant Land Acquisition Act, 2015. https://t.co/KokCsaBG3H
— Arvind Gunasekar (@arvindgunasekar) August 2, 2025
But the problem with this justification is simple: Rahul Gandhi very clearly and repeatedly said “farm laws” during his speech. The Land Acquisition Act, though it may affect landowners including farmers, is not categorized as part of the “farm laws.” The act pertains to land acquisition for public purposes such as infrastructure, security, and industrial development not specifically to agricultural policy reform.
This kind of spin, aimed solely at propping up political leaders under the pretext of journalism, hasn’t gone unnoticed. Social media users were quick to call out this blatant and dishonest defense.
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