A figment of the imagination?

A report in an English language newspaper claimed that the Indian government had tried to strike a deal with a foreign government on a sensitive issue. It said the discussions were held at the highest levels of the two governments. It also quoted the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) calling the claim "ridiculous". Neither the MEA nor the Prime Minister's Office issued a clarification or a rejoinder after the report was published. Their argument: Any clarification/rejoinder will only fuel speculation. Sources in the MEA said it had stopped issuing clarifications to "inaccurate" reports. Instead, it lets journalists, who might be keen on following up on such reports, know that it considers such reports to be the "figment of the imagination" of some of their peers.