Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has criticised the raids by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at the premises of journalists in Delhi.
“NIA raids are testimony of the fact that the BJP is desperate and steadily losing the political ground. There is nothing new in raids conducted on Tuesday as honest media persons were raided by the BJP government in the past also,” he said on X.
“The money paid to the friendly TV channels for publicity of the BJP government should also be revealed,” he said.
SP chief said the journalist had faced maximum persecution during the BJP government and a journalist was sent to jail for asking question from the minister.
“Journalists who had gone to Manipur to obtain a firsthand account of the situation in the northeastern state were also targeted and FIRs were filed against them. In several other incidents related to attacks on members of the media, the role of the police and administration was suspect,” Akhilesh said.
Terming the NIA raids in Delhi on Tuesday as ‘self-goal’’, Yadav said, “The move to target the journalist would boomerang on the BJP as its intolerant towards the freedom of expression.”
Accusing the BJP of being arrogant Akhilesh Yadav said, “The BJP is unable to digest the valid criticism of its anti-people policies and has unleashed vendetta against its political rivals by misusing the agencies.”
SP chief alleged that the BJP is conspiring to impose undeclared censorship on the media and for perpetuating its power it wants to instill a sense of fear among all institutions of democracy. He said the people of the country would never tolerate the blatant attack on the media and other institutions of democracy and they would give a befitting reply to the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.