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| On getting abusive, putting curbs on media's freedom of expression! | | | Sandeep Bhat
JAMMU, July 20: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, we heard with patience your views on Media and its role in the present day world during a social function organised by a Hindi daily here in Jammu on Sunday.
Your sermon brought back memories of victimisation of owners of the Early Times newspaper by the state administration. All efforts were made to bulldoze this institution, curb its independence and reduce it to government mouthpiece. Official machinery was tasked with harming business interests of the newspaper owners and this all was done to penalise Early Times for speaking the language people like.
We exist because people of Jammu and Kashmir read us. You talk about moral values. Chief Minister, you would have done better, if you would have given some lessons on morality and decency to your ministers. Having virtually turned the pious institution of legislative assembly into a fish market and gone to the extent of even abusing democratically elected representatives of the people of the state inside this temple of democracy, now they have trained their guns on media.
If past is to be dug out, too much filth would come out which would be intolerable and damaging to those who have lost all moral values. We too know how ministers would hold interviews in government bungalows of the candidates both male and female.
Those stories have not died. They are still alive and if required could be reprinted. We are responsible but expect our administrative set-up to change their approach towards media. Whatever non-sense was circulated on Saturday is seemingly result of the extreme frustration of the 'news manager' of your party. The concerned aggrieved person is used to reading and circulating handouts written by this 'news manager'.
He seems to have realised that power is now a distant dream and hence, has now started using his 'beautiful brain' for these kind of obnoxious write-ups.. Let us share with you Chief Minister, the terse usage of words by the news manager in the handout has failed to unnerve free and independent thought process.
As a head of the state, the chief minister has every right to see what is good and what is wrong going on in his state. There is no doubt that one should have the courage to call a spade a spade. Media is known as fourth pillar of the democracy in the country and should be treated as independent, but actually that is not happening in our state.
Chief Minister, may I remind u sir, that actually what has happened with the local newspaper owner and the staff years back when official machinery was used to curb the freedom of press. The business of the owner of the newspaper was affected, the newspaper office was sealed and the property was sealed just to harass the media persons and their owners.
Today in a media function, Chief Minister advised media to do their job without any fear and should report freely. He also suggested to write whatever their conscious says, and also remembered them of their journalistic ethics and duties. He also said most of the newspapers are run by business houses and indirectly blamed them from not giving free atmosphere to the journalists.
Sir with due respect where you were then when the freedom of expression was snatched, when the freedom was curbed and even threats came from different quarters. Giving discourses to media persons and tell them their duty and responsibility is fine, but you as a head of the state should try to give equal justice. |
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