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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Ruckus outside counting centre in Mamata's constituency, TMC claims entry of car with BJP flag
Kolkata (PTI): The counting centre at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur assembly constituency witnessed a ruckus a day ahead of the counting of votes, with TMC workers alleging two cars bearing the BJP's flag were allowed entry to the compound where EVMs are kept.
The incident comes close on the heels of a four-hour-long sit-in by Banerjee in front of the same counting centre at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on Thursday night, alleging unauthorised entry of persons into the strongroom.
With the polling now over, the wrangling for power in West Bengal has turned into a battle of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a steely gaze on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates is sealed.
Despite expressing her confidence in a "landslide victory", Banerjee has repeatedly aired her apprehensions of "counting malpractice and EVM tampering ahead of the day of results".
On Sunday morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres from the counting centre alleged that two cars with BJP flags entered the premises and went near the strongroom.
"The CAPF personnel at the spot are not allowing any vehicle or person to enter the premises of the counting centre without valid identity proof. Then how come this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, was allowed entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away," a TMC activist said.
The TMC claimed that while the police personnel posted there promised the vehicle would be removed from the spot, it remained there for some time.
A senior Election Commission official said the car was passing by the Harish Mukherjee Road, and after checking by security forces and police, it was allowed to leave as nothing objectionable was found in it.
On Thursday night, two counting centres, including one at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School in the city, witnessed high drama after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.
TMC leaders and candidates, Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents
In Howrah, TMC protested renovation work by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, and the EC stopped the work temporarily.
On Saturday, the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
Similar scenes were witnessed on Saturday outside the strongrooms at Asansol College in Paschim Bardhaman and the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas districts, where TMC workers held protests, alleging that CCTV cameras were switched off for several minutes.
The EC turned down all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were working in an uninterrupted manner.
BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh told reporters that the people of Bengal were finding it "hilarious" that the TMC, "which used to win elections through unfair means and strongarm tactics" were now coming up with all sorts of "frivolous charges".
"Are they scared of losing?" he posed.
