HVK Archives: DD, AIR black out news of Yatra
DD, AIR black out news of Yatra - The BJP Today
M. Venkaiah Naidu
()
26-30 June 1997
Title: DD, AIR black out news of Yatra
Author: M. Venkaiah Naidu
Publication: The BJP Today
Date: June 26-30, 1997
The manner in which Doordarshan and All India Radio have so far blacked out
all information about the Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra amounts to muzzling the
Opposition by a Government that talks of freedom of information but
practices the most reprehensible means of censorship. The day he took
charge as the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Shri Jaipal Reddy had
made a public declaration that under his dispensation both Doordarshan and
AIR would be freed from partisan restrictions. Given the total blackout
imposed on the Yatra, it would appear that either Shri Jaipal Reddy's writ
does not run in DD and AIR or he does not mean what he says.
While it is true that the Swarna Jayanti Yatra has been organised by the
Bharatiya Janata Party and is being undertaken by Shri L.K. Advani, it is
equally true that the message of the yatra is non-partisan and transcends
narrow political barriers: The purpose behind the yatra is to both
celebrate the Golden Jubilee of India's independence from foreign rule as
well as to rekindle the spirit of patriotism, to develop a new work
culture, to promote social harmony based on equality for all irrespective
of caste, language or gender Identity, and to urge people to fight corruption.
During his marathon yatra, which will cover 15,000 km over 59 days. Shri
Advani has been paying homage to those who laid down their lives during the
freedom struggle as well as honouring those freedom fighters who are living
in neglect. forgotten and forsaken by a Government eager to celebrate the
arrival of Vasco da Gama. No distinction has been made on the basis of the
political commitment or party affiliations of these heroes of modem India.
Shri Advani has visited Porbandar (birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi), Karamsad
(birthplace of Sardar Patel), Vidhurnagar (birthplace of K. Kamaraj) as
well as the birthplaces of Swami Dayanand and Subramaniam Bharati. He has
paid homage at Tilak Bhavan where Bal Gangadhar Tilak lived. He has
travelled to Cellular Jail to pay homage to Veer Savarkar and others who
were incarcerated there for joining the freedom struggle. Few in the
ruling establishment today would be able to recall the name Kattaboman.
Shri Advani visited Panchalam Kurichi, the place where he was born.
Kattaboman was hanged for fighting against the British. Neither would many
of those who sit in Government today would be able to recall the name
Ashfaqullah whose portrait adorns the Swarna Jayanti Rath.
To black out this information means that either the United Front Government
believes that this is not newsworthy, or it does not subscribe to the
message of patriotism or reviving the spirit of the freedom struggle and
fulfilling the dreams of those who gave their all for this country. The
former, that the yatra is not newsworthy, cannot be true - the print media
and the non-official audio-visual media have been covering the yatra since
it is news. Therefore, this leaves us with the second reason, that is the
United Front does not believe in reviving patriotic fervour, fulfilling the
dreams of our martyrs, and fighting corruption. Or, It is entirely possible
that notwithstanding their posturing, the Prime Minister and his I&B
Minister actually prescribe to the undemocratic practice of suppressing the
voice of the Opposition, irrespective of the message carried by that voice.
Contrast the official media's blackout of the Yatra with the amount of time
that is devoted everyday in every news bulletin on the murky affairs of the
Congress, the shameful internicine war in the Janata Dal and the appalling
shenanigans of the Left. This is news for the Prime Minister and his team!
No less contemptible is the manner in which Congress leaders are being
allowed to virtually run their organisational election campaign via
Doordarshan bulletins.
Neither Doordarshan nor AIR is the personal property of any political
party, least of all the ruling party. Both are run with the tax-payers'
money. And the tax-payer has the right to know more than what is happening
in the Congress and the United Front or to be subjected to the infantile
fulminations of an irrelevant Left. This right of the people cannot be
trampled upon by those who cannot see anything beyond their own survival
and petty politics.
The BJP, therefore, has decided to stage black flag demonstrations at
Doordarshan and Akashvani kendras from June 10 to 16 all over the country.
A team of party M.P.s will also call on the I&B Minister to protest against
this blatant censorship being practised by the Government. Under no
circumstances shall we allow the muzzling of the voice of the Opposition,
in this case the largest party in the country, that too in this 50th year
of independence.
(Issued in New Delhi on June 7, 1997)
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