Gandhinagar, 26 August 2012

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today criticized Congress party for boycotting a satellite news channel TV9. Modi asked Election Commission to seek explanation from Congress for its act to suppress the media ahead of the election. Modi said this in his address to Gujarat BJP women’s cell convention in Gandhinagar(in video above).

“I have been under attack of all kinds of falsehoods for last twelve years. The basic thing needed in democracy is an ability to tolerate criticism. But look what Congress is doing, first they couldn’t tolerate criticism on SMS, Twitter and Facebook, and yesterday they have issued an official circular to boycott TV9 channel,” Modi said adding that only fault of TV9 was that it showed a group of angry women burning the forms of Gujarat Congress’s proposed Ghar nu ghar housing scheme.

“Though election dates are not declared, the Election Commission should intervene in the matter and seek explanation of Congress party,” Modi further said.

It should be mentioned here that Gujarat Congress President in a circular dated 23 August had asked party men to boycott TV9 Gujarati channel. Image of the circular and translation of the text is given below:

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee

Circular
23 August, 2012

For last some time Gujarat’s TV-9 channel doesn’t give suitable place to Congress’s many positive programmes, and instead it gives enough space to BJP’s all programmes. As per what we have observed so far, Congress party’s political news occupy only 20% time while Gujarat government and BJP’s news cover 80% time. Even in Congress party’s coverage, controversial news occupy more space.

Entire country’s media has termed Congress’s Ghar nu ghar scheme programme as successful, but TV-9 has only shown the faults in the arrangements during this programme which happened only at few centers. And such faults in arrangements were shown for three-four days. During Ghar nu ghar programme, few BJP workers managed to fill some forms and threw them as part of a scheme, and TV 9 was part of this plot which is very unfortunate.

Looking at such a situation, TV-9 channel now presents news in a way like it has become a Modi channel. In such situation, Gujarat Congress President has taken a decision that Congress party’s elected MLAs, MPs, office bearers, or any leader or worker must not give interview to TV-9 channel, they should not participate in the discussions in this channel, and should not give byte and should completely boycott this channel. On Gujarat Congress President’s direction, all party members are directed to seriously put this in action.

TV-9 management is also requested that they should not send their correspondent in any programme of Congress party. If they continue to send their team, their correspondent will be politely asked to leave the venue.

Jayantilal Parmar
Spokesperson

To
Presidents of City/district/taluka Congress committees, Presidents of City/district/taluka women cells, copy sent to the ministers in Government of India, Chairman Campaign committee Gujarat Congress, Leader of opposition Gujarat, AICC office bearers in Gujarat, all office bearers, zonal in-charge and spokespersons in Gujarat Congress and Editor TV-9, Ahmedabad.

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Editor’s remark

The problem between TV9 Gujarati and Gujarat Congress President Arjun Modhwadia started when during a live coverage of Gandhinagar election results, TV9 continued to show BJP’s victory while actually the Congress was ahead leaving BJP far behind. Modhwadia was watching this at his home on TV and objected immediately the way TV9 was showing Congress’s defeat when actually Congress was winning.

Modhwadia again objected the channel’s “ill-treatment” to Congress when on Republic day TV9 showed Modi speaking loudly against the central government, and Modhwadia’s reply to Modi on this was not covered by the channel. Modhwadia was of opinion that there should be some balance.

Recently in a programme to launch a theme song of Gujarat Congress party, the state spokesperson asked TV9 Gujarati reporter and cameraman to leave the place. Accordingly a pair of cameraman and reporter left the venue without coverage.

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It is worth to mention here that barring some social media websites and TV channels like TV9 and couple of other local channels, there’s hardly any Ahmedabad based mainstream media house that shows BJP or Modi in good light. Barring some TV channels and online media more or less all other media houses are openly and fully pro-Congress.

Constantly under attack by media, Modi has refrained from taking harsh actions against any single media group barring one incident in which the Gujarat government stopped giving government advertisement to Gujarat Samachar. This decision was challenged by Gujarat Samachar in the High Court. Gujarat Samachar had hired P.Chidambaram(he was not union minister then and was charging Rs 2 lakh fee for one appearance plus Taj hotel stay and air fare) to fight this case. Citing defeat, Gujarat government had settled the case outside the court with Gujarat Samachar and had resumed advertisements.