BJP government intimidating media, alleges Congress
New Delhi, Aug 3: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday alleged that the Modi government was "pressurising and intimidating" the media so that it does not write against it and cited the instance of two senior employees of a news television channel who were told to quit after doing a reality check programme on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims.
The allegations were rebutted by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, who said the first news aired by the channel was wrong but no show-cause notice was issued and it was the opposition's habit to blame the government for everything.
"There is right to speak, right to write. Article 19 gives the right to freedom of expression. But it is very regrettable that there have been several instances of ban on the media. Especially, when the media has gone against the government or has done a reality check, there is an attempt to intimidate them, muzzle them," Kharge told the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.
"I will give you one example. Two days back, two senior functionaries of ABP News channel were asked to resign. Milind Khandekar, who was Managing Editor and who had been working with the channel for 14 years, and (an anchor), they were also working. The only mistake was that the anchor sent the reporter to do a reality check of what Modi had said in his Mann ki Baat" radio programme, Kharge said. Another anchor was asked to go on leave.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said the matter related to a private channel and asked whether he had the facts and figures. The treasury members objected to Kharge's remarks.
Kharge said Modi had spoken to a woman who said her income had doubled. "But when the reporter asked, the women said it was wrong and she had been asked by government officials to say so," he said.
Kharge was referring to a news report that quoted the sarpanch from Chhattisgarh's Kanharpuri as saying that Chandramani, the woman farmer, who interacted with Modi, had been tutored by a team from the Agriculture Department from New Delhi,
Modi had interacted with farmers from different parts of the country on June 20.
Kharge said intense pressure was exerted on the three people as also the channel. In the end, the management "axed the two employees. There was an attempt to silence them".
Giving a second example of intimidation of a national television channel, Kharge said: "In the Central Hall also, a senior MP challenged the media that if you do not go by our thinking, we will close your channel, and they did it.
"National TV they got closed for 24 hours," the Congress leader said.
"If there is no freedom of speech, where can we talk? We can only place this before you. If you want to close the channel, pressurise the press and those who want to write against your thinking, it is not a good thing. Those who are following such ideology, it is wrong. Those who are acting against the Constitution, it is wrong. The attempt that is being made to curb fundamental rights, this should not happen," he said.
Rathore dismissed the Congress leader's charge and said: "We see a trend in the country that when the opposition does not find an issue, they hold the government responsible for anything.
"The channel he is referring to, its first story (on the issue) was wrong but the government did not issue a show-cause notice. The channel runs on Free Dish (Prasar Bharti-owned free to air digital direct satellite service). Free Dish gets maximum TRP," Rathore said.
"It is owned by the government and their channel is running on it without any interruption," he said.
"If the government wanted to interfere, it would have done so on Free Dish. The government has nothing to do with it," the Minister said.
Rathore also said the TRP of the channel Kharge was referring to "has been falling because people do not want to watch it".
"He is putting the blame on the government. This is the what the opposition is trying to do in the country."
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Cong cites Kangana's purported remarks to accuse BJP of wanting to bring back repealed farm laws
New Delhi, Sep 24: The Congress on Tuesday cited BJP MP Kangana Ranaut's purported remarks on farm laws to allege that the ruling party was making efforts to bring back the three laws that were repealed in 2021, and asserted that Haryana will give a befitting reply to it.
The Congress shared on X an undated video of Ranaut in which she is purportedly saying in Hindi, "Farm laws that have been repealed should be brought back. I think this may get controversial. The laws in farmers' interest be brought back. Farmers should themselves demand this (to bring farm laws back) so that there is no hindrance to their prosperity.
"Farmers are a pillar of strength in India's progress. Only in some states, they had objected to farm laws. I appeal with folded hands that farm laws should be brought back in the interest of farmers."
In a post in Hindi along with the video, the Congress said, "The three black laws imposed on farmers should be brought back: BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has said this. More than 750 farmers of the country were martyred, only then did the Modi government wake up and these black laws were withdrawn."
Now BJP MPs are planning to bring back these laws, the Congress alleged.
"The Congress is with the farmers. These black laws will never return, no matter how hard Narendra Modi and his MPs try," the opposition party said on X.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also shared the video of Ranaut on X and said, "'All three farm laws should be brought back': BJP MP Kangana Ranaut. More than 750 farmers were martyred while protesting against the three black farmer laws. Efforts are being made to bring them back."
"We will never let that happen. Haryana will answer first," she said in an apparent reference to the assembly polls in Haryana.
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also shared the video on X and said it was the BJP's "real thinking".
"How many times will you deceive the farmers, you two-faced people?" Khera said in a post in Hindi.
The three laws -- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act -- were repealed in November 2021.
The farmers' protest started at the fag-end of November 2020 and ended after Parliament repealed the three laws. The legislations came into force in June 2020 and were repealed in November 2021.
“तीनों किसान क़ानून वापस लाये जाने चाहिए” : BJP MP कंगना रनौत
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) September 24, 2024
जिन तीन काले किसान विरोधी क़ानूनों की मुख़ालिफ़त करते 750 से ज़्यादा किसान शहीद हो गए
उनको दोबारा से लाने की कोशिश की जा रही है. हम ऐसा कभी नहीं होने देंगे
सबसे पहला जवाब हरियाणा देगा pic.twitter.com/kRAkRuE2cc
