Rahul Gandhi's snappy interaction stumps Mumbai media

It was supposed to be a proper media interaction, but ended up being just a "byte".

A byte, or bite, in media lingo, is a short audio or video clip taken from a speech or press conference and broadcast/telecast during a news report.

Journalists who came to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) centre in suburban Bandra-Kurla Complex this morning for Congress president Rahul Gandhi's scheduled media interaction were left wondering if they had attended the briefest-ever Press briefing.

Many of them took to social media platforms to voice their displeasure over the brief affair.

As the brevity of the media interaction became a topic of ridicule in social media, Mumbai Congress unit clarified that there was "miscommunication" on part of its media co-coordinators regarding Gandhi's interaction with journalists.

Mumbai Regional Congress Committee president Sanjay Nirupam, who had accompanied Gandhi during the interaction, said that after the party workers' meeting here yesterday, some TV news reporters contacted him seeking a "byte" of the Congress chief.

"I informed this to Rahulji and he told me that he would give a "byte" before leaving for Nagpur today morning. It was never supposed to be an interaction. This was miscommunicated by our media co-ordinators and we accept responsibility for this goof-up," Nirupam said.

Print and electronic media gathered at the MCA at 8.30 am. Gandhi arrived at 9.20 am and left in just over two minutes after taking a single question from media.

"Witnessed Guinness Book moment as @RahulGandhi addressed the shortest PC of 2min 47 sec. #HistoricPC," tweeted a senior TV journalist.

"So most Mumbai journalists left home by 6 this morning to attend a press conference by @RahulGandhi who turned up 45 minutes late and spoke for exactly 2.47 minutes (incl qs). Shortest press conference of my life and now I want answers for my lost sleep," tweeted another.

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya also took potshots at the brief media interaction, tweeting: "Rahul Gandhi just did a 1 min 44 sec, world's shortest perhaps, press conference in Mumbai.