Aam Aadmi Party leader Jarnail Singh today tendered an unconditional apology for his party colleague Bhagwant Mann's misbehaviour with the mediapersons during a rally at Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahib district on Thursday.
"Media's anger is justified. Having been a journalist myself, I know that media has a big role to play in our democratic system. And media has also played a role in where AAP stands today," Jarnail, who is AAP's national spokesperson and party's Punjab co-ordinator, said replying to questions of mediapersons at a press conference here this evening.
Jarnail, who was flanked by party leaders Himmat Singh Shergill and Jasbir Singh Bir, said that AAP senior leader Sanjay Singh has talked to party's Sangrur MP, who has been in the line of fire on the issue.
"We need cooperation from the media. We respect the fourth pillar of democracy. If anyone has felt hurt, then I tender unconditional apology," Jarnail Singh said.
Facing a volley of questions from the media here, Singh said, "we will take up the matter with our MP."
When he was asked whether he can give assurance that in future his party workers will not interfere in media's working and misbehave with them, Singh replied: "I again say that it will be our endeavour that such incidents are not repeated in future."
"As party leader, I tender unconditional apology," he said.
However, mediapersons at the conference got angry when Jarnail Singh told them "I request (media) that incident (involving Bhagwant Mann) should not be given this importance".
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On the backfoot on this issue, Jarnail Singh said, "I know that your anger is justified. We will ensure that this issue is taken up with Arvind Kejriwal."
The mediapersons reminded him that his party has maximum journalists in its fold and such a behaviour from its MP was unacceptable.
"I again tender an unconditional apology and I think the matter should be ended here," he added.
Notably, in fresh trouble for Bhagwant Mann, the AAP's Sangrur MP was today booked along with some of his party activists by Punjab Police on a complaint alleging that they had misbehaved with mediapersons at a rally in Bassi Pathana.
"After receiving the report of the DSP to whom an enquiry had been marked and after getting legal opinion in this regard, we registered a case against Mr Bhagwant Mann and some of his party activists," Fatehgarh Sahib SSP H S Bhullar said today.
The media persons had yesterday filed a complaint against Mann who along with his supporters allegedly misbehaved with them and used derogatory remarks against the media at a political rally in Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahib district on Thursday.
Mann is alleged to have instigated AAP volunteers against media persons present there and they manhandled the scribes and even damaged the camera of one of them, the complaint read.
Mann even used the word "paid media" which hurt the feelings of journalists, it said.
After the incident, Congress activists had burnt an effigy of Mann at Bassi Pathana.
Mann has been mired in controversies. The AAP MP recently drew flak for alleged security breach after he streamed a video of him entering the Parliament Complex in Delhi. The Lok Sabha Speaker had formed a panel to probe the issue and Mann was asked to stay away from proceedings of the house, pending the inquiry.
