Mumbai, September 21: In a major gaffe, a senior anchor of a leading news channel ended up airing her unappreciative view of Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray's intellect on live TV. The newsreader not only derided the Thackeray scion, but also jabbed Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been tagged with the derogatory title of "pappu" by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell for his purported bloopers in some interviews and political speeches.

In the clip of the live TV broadcast, which has went viral on social media, the anchor could be heard saying that Aaditya will lead to the decimation of Shiv Sena, similar to how Congress' electoral relevance reduced under Gandhi. Over 120 Congress Office-Bearers Resign After Rahul Gandhi's Decision to Quit as Party Chief.

"Yeh Shiv Sena ka Rahul Gandhi saabit hoga (He'll prove to be the Rahul Gandhi of Shiv Sena," the female anchor was heard as saying in Hindi. Twitter users have connected the gaffe with Anjana Om Kashyap, the anchor of news channel Aaj Tak.

Watch Video of The Anchor's On-Air Blunder:

Full Clip:

Priyanka Chaturvedi, the Deputy Leader of Shiv Sena who joined the party recently after working for years with the Congress, took offence to the manner in which the anchor ridiculed Aaditya Thackeray.

"Also, its ok to call others Pappu or speak about their intelligence. But not knowing you’re on air, after decades of working in that space and voicing your ‘expert’ views definitely exposes your ‘intelligence’. Just saying," she said.

See Priyanka Chaturvedi's Tweet Below:

After the video went viral, Anjana Om Kashyap said that she regrets her statement on Aaditya Thackeray. "My remark on Aditya Thackeray which is being spread with malice was out of lapse of judgement. I regret it. This, by no means, reflects the views of the channel or the network," she said.

See Anjana Om Kashyap's Tweet Below:

The 29-year-old Aaditya is part of the fourth generation of the Thackeray political clan. His great grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray played a key role in the struggle to form the separate state of Maharashtra. His son and Aaditya's grandfather, Bal Thackeray, was the founder of Shiv Sena. Uddhav Thackeray, the current president of the party, is Aaditya's father.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 21, 2019 09:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).