New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched an scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi over  Congress President's attack on an ANI editor who interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day of 2019. The Finance Minister hit out at the Congress president for calling the journalist 'pliable', Jaitley, in his tweets questioned the silence of 'pseudo liberals'.

In an indirect reference to former PM Indira Gandhi, Jaitley called Rahul Gandhi 'the grandson of the Emergency dictator' and slammed the top Congress leader for intimidating an 'independent Editor'

"Why are the pseudo liberals silent? Waiting for the Editors guild’s response. The Grandson of the ‘Emergency dictator’ displays his real DNA – attacks and intimidates an independent Editor," Jaitley said.

Rahul Gandhi in his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday said Modi gave a 'staged interview' to ANI Chief editor Smita Prakash on New Year's day and took a dig at it again at his press conference later.

In a late night statement, BJP media head Anil Baluni defended the journalist who interviewed Modi and said Gandhi's attack on the media person was reflective of the Congress' mindset about journalists in general.