New Delhi: The debate over press freedom came full circle on Saturday with Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari refuting allegations that he had any role to play in editing Narendra Modi’s Doordarshan interview, even as the BJP leader compared the controversy to the media repression witnessed during the Emergency.
The information and broadcasting ministry has an arm’s length relationship with Prasar Bharati and the public broadcaster’s autonomy is guaranteed by an Act of parliament, Tewari told media persons here.
“My attention has been drawn to news reports which have appeared in the press. I have stated earlier and allow me to attribute and reiterate that the autonomy of Prasar Bharati is guaranteed by an Act of parliament. It is an organisation run by a board and the ministry has an arm’s length relationship with it,” Tewari said.
His clarification was preceded by a sharp attack by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Modi, who took to a social networking website to express his “sadness” at the lack of “professional freedom” in Doordarshan.
“On days such as this, I feel very sad to see our national TV channel struggling to maintain its professional freedom,” Modi tweeted.
In another tweet, he said: “We have witnessed the horrors of Emergency when freedom of press and freedom of expression were suppressed. It is a blot on our democracy.”
The controversy gained momentum after media reports alleged that Doordarshan edited out portions from Modi’s recent interview to the state-run broadcaster where he had said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was like a “daughter”.
Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, retorted by saying she was only “Rajiv Gandhi’s daughter”.
The government drew strong criticism for allegedly influencing the editing, after Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar acknowledged in a letter May 2 that certain portions of Modi’s interview to Doordarshan “were apparently edited”.
Sircar also pointed a finger at Tewari in the letter for failing to grant the public broadcaster “operational autonomy” that it has been seeking for years.
Tewari denied any involvement, pointing out that it was only at his initiative that the Sam Pitroda committee was constituted to examine and look into the government’s relations with Prasar Bharati.
“It was I who had suggested that the relations between Prasar Bharati and the government should be same as the finance ministry has with the Comptroller and Auditor General and its budget should be appropriated through the Consolidated Fund of India rather than routed through the ministry,” he said.
Modi undecided on apologising to EC
New Delhi: BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Saturday skirted questions on whether he would tender an apology to the Election Commission over violation of the model code of conduct.
Asked if he would like to apologise to the poll panel, Modi told TV channel Aaj Tak: “That stage has not come yet. Our legal team is pursuing the matter.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader further said he was accustomed to battling legal hassles for over 12 years now.
“I will not like to waste my time in a debate on this,” he said.
He denied any knowledge of a police report in the matter.
“The inquiry is on. I don’t think they will tell the media about their report… nor do I have any right to know about it,” Modi said.
The Gujarat chief minister displayed his party’s symbol – lotus- and delivered a speech outside a polling booth after casting his vote in Gandhinagar April 30.
An FIR was lodged against him the same day under the directive of the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, Modi also said that he was hoping for a good fight in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency where Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal is contesting against him.
“If there is competition, it is good. Otherwise there will be no fun,” Modi told TV news channel Aaj Tak.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader said competition was integral to politics.
“There should be competition in politics,” he said.
The Congress has pitted Ajay Rai in Varanasi.
The Congress will be confined to two digits when election results are announced on May 16, Modi further said on Saturday.
“They (Congress) are making efforts to cross the 100-seat mark, but I think they will be decimated to two digits,” Modi told Aaj Tak.
The BJP leader said that ever since the election was announced, senior leaders of the Congress started fleeing the battleground.
“They had neither the determination to put up a good fight, much less any hope to win it,” Modi said.
He credited the BJP’s plank of good governance and development of going down well with the people who, he hoped, would give him a “decisive mandate”.
“I think people will give a mandate for the most stable and strong government in the last 20-25 years,” Modi said. (IANS)