Aaj Tak journalist Anjana Om Kashyap issued a clarification after her 'off-camera' comment comparing Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi which got aired seemingly by mistake during a live broadcast. While a clip of Aditya's response to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at the 'India Today Conclave' was playing, Kashyap can be heard in the background as saying, "Ye Shiv Sena ka Rahul Gandhi saabit hoga, likhke rakh lijiye (He's going to be the Rahul Gandhi of Shiv Sena, take it in writing)."

On Saturday, Kashyap tweeted the clarification after a sharp response from the Shiv Sena in objection to her comment. She said, "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."

Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said that Kashyap should focus on journalism instead of predicting the future like a "parrot on the street". She added, "Also, it's ok to call others Pappu or speak about their intelligence. But not knowing you’re on the air, after decades of working in that space and voicing your ‘expert’ views definitely exposes your ‘intelligence’. Just saying."