Telecast of assembly proceedings without permission not allowed

Gandhinagar, 2 March, 2012

Gujarat assembly Speaker Shri Ganpat Vasava today took objection over telecast of assembly proceeding on TV channels without permission.

Shri Vasava said that no video telecast of assembly proceedings is allowed outside the assembly complex without permission.

It should be mentioned that under the present system, the assembly proceeding inside the house is telecast live outside, but only within the assembly complex.

For this, a number of TV sets are put in various offices of the assembly complex.

One of the TV sets is in Congress party’s office in assembly building.

For last some time, the office of the leader of opposition had started recording his speeches in the assembly through a TV set in his office. Gohil would put selective parts of his speeches on Youtube. Later another Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia also started doing the same.

In press-room of the assembly complex, TV channel cameras used to record the live proceedings from TV screen. They would show important sequences of house proceeding in news bulletins later.

Everything was going fine, but Congress party’s over enthusiasm turned out to be spoiler.

For last couple of days, Gujarat Congress started buying slots on Gujarati satellite channels, to show their assembly speeches, questions and remarks targeted at the state government.

This is believed to be a reason behind Speaker’s direction to TV channels on not to telecast proceedings without permission.

It should be mentioned that Gujarat government’s Information department also prepares a half-an-hour daily TV programme ‘Lokshahi na dhabkara’ that contains edited version of assembly proceedings of same day. Major private Gujarati TV channels show this programme in evening slot. This programme is made with permission of Speaker. Its content is obviously pro-government. Congress led UPA controlled Doordarshan doesn’t show this programme.