Indian home minister threatens media

India's home minister has threatened to "stamp out" journalists who have been "trouble mongering" ahead of national polls due by May, underlining pressures on the media during a bitter election campaign. The comments by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, criticised by social media and opposition parties, came after a former army chief referred to reporters recently as "presstitutes." Speaking on Monday, Shinde accused the media of "stirring up trouble" and manipulating news about his Congress party at a rally in the western state of Maharashtra. "The intelligence wing is under me, so I know from where such activities are launched and I watch them ... Now we have decided to stamp out such trouble mongering mentalities from this country," Shinde said. The Editors Guild of India on Monday objected to what it called "unsubstantiated charges" against the media, including by anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal who has alleged a nexus between media organisations and Indian companies, according to AFP.