BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticises Kumbh coverage by Asianet News, in which he has stake: Report
Thiruvananthapuram: Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former minister of state for the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, expressed dissatisfaction with remarks made about the Maha Kumbh in a recent programme aired by Asianet News, a Malayalam TV channel he owns.
During the March 1 episode of Cover Story, a weekly programme on Asianet News, the channel appeared to take a dig at people from Kerala who attended the Kumbh and participated in the dip at the Triveni Sangam, as reported by The Indian Express on Wednesday.
"Hundreds of people from Kerala took part in the Ganga snan. Hindu sentiments, interest in rituals, and the Kumbh mela snan, which were not prevalent until now, have emerged in a state where CPI(M) is ruling. Even when Kerala is claiming to be 100 percent literate, Kumbh mela snan and propitiating BJP are favourite matters for a lot of Keralites," it said.
The programme also showed visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking a dip in the Ganga, commenting: "Good advertisement, good business and good PR. When all came together, the Kumbh mela turned into a favourite here in Kerala too."
In response, Chandrasekhar took to Facebook, sharing that several Malayalees had reached out to him, expressing that they were hurt by the programme's content. "They felt the programme was ridiculing the Kumbh Mela. My family was among crores of devotees who participated in the Maha Kumbh mela. I have brought this to the attention of those at the helm of Asianet News. I have asked them that there should not be such careless, sarcastic remarks about such an event, which is attended by lakhs of devotees," he wrote.
Chandrasekhar also stressed that faith is essential to all Hindus, including those in Kerala, and called for respect for religious sentiments. "As in any religion, faith is important for every Hindu. We, crores of Hindus across the country, including Kerala, want that to be respected," he stated.
The BJP's relationship with Asianet News has been tense in the past. In 2015, the state unit of the BJP announced a boycott of the channel, accusing it of being dominated by "journalists with Left background".
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
