Will the Congress now abuse power and misuse rules for television channels to black out the Opposition's voiceIJ Will the Congress now insist that only speeches of Rahul Gandhi can be shownIJ
Using Doordarshan as the purveyor of propaganda has been the standard practice of the Congress to promote the interests of both the party and its first family. This has been true since the days of Indira Gandhi.
Indeed, this is equally true for all regimes around the world which do not believe in the true essence of democracy and want to see plural voices and views stamped out of public discourse. Parties like the Congress that believe in a totalitarian approach are allergic to the idea of voices of dissent.
Monopoly over electronic media — be it television or radio — allowed the Congress a free run in using tax-funded Doordarshan and All India Radio for brazen propaganda. There was no accountability — also, there was none to question, none to object.
Similarly, the Congress exercised control over privately owned newspapers through several tools of coercion, for example, the infamous newsprint quota, Government advertising and licences for equipment. Indian Express was sought to be tamed by Rajiv Gandhi for importing computers and software without ‘proper licences and permits’.
Many of the newspaper owners had other business interests. The licence-permit-quota raj that existed in those days ensured owners did not step out of line. There were other means of forcing newspaper owners — for instance, filing false charges against them.
All this changed in the early-1990s when satellite television, owned and operated by the private sector appeared in the country. But the Congress was loath to give up its monopoly control over news and views. The Cable TV Act was framed in a manner, along with licensing for uploading and downloading, to exercise control over private news channels.
Over the past two decades, private sector television has managed to shake off some of the suffocating control. More important, channels realised they had to compete for viewership in order to stay afloat. That too forced them to try and beat the Congress at its game.
It is by now common knowledge that the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi fetches millions of viewers on account of his soaring mass popularity, which is way ahead of the popularity of all the Congress leaders put together.
Hence, it stands to reason that television channels do not miss an opportunity to telecast his speeches and events where he is the main speaker. This has been the trend for more than a year now.
In sharp contrast, the Congress has no leader who can fetch high ratings. So it also stands to reason that Congress leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, get the short shrift.
In any event, it is not for the Congress (or the Government) to decide what should and should not be telecast so long as established codes of public decency and national interest are not transgressed.
This is something which eludes the Congress and its propagandists who, as good pupils of Goebbels, think that newspapers and news channels should only promote the interests of the party and the Nehru Dynasty.
On August 15, news channels did live telecast of Manmohan Singh’s utterly uninspiring and insipid traditional Independence Day speech. A short while later, they did live telecast of Narendra Modi’s speech, given in his capacity as Chief Minister of Gujarat, which turned out to be hugely inspiring.
Clearly that unnerved the Congress. What has unnerved it further is that there are few takers for the boring speeches of the party’s vice-president and heir apparent Rahul Gandhi. On the other hand, the hunger to watch Narendra Modi is insatiable. The weekly television ratings, which are easily accessible, bear out this point.
The Congress is working towards clamping down on private channels. That is the expected response of a party whose leadership is autocratic and has scant regard —even lesser respect — for democracy and its fundamental principle: Freedom of choice.
The Congress does not believe viewers have the right to choose what they want to see; it believes viewers must watch and hear only Congress leaders and party propaganda. In brief, the Congress’s view is that of a fascist organisation, intolerant and totalitarian, at war with pluralism and democracy.
To browbeat the private channels into submission, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has sent an ‘advisory’, really a stern notice, to all media houses, warning them not to repeat what they did on August 15. It is surprising that the notice should have been sent out more than two months after Independence Day.
Are we then to believe that this is a glimpse of what lies aheadIJ Will the Congress now abuse power and misuse rules for television channels to black out the Opposition’s voiceIJ Will the Congress now insist that only speeches of Rahul Gandhi can be shown, and not those of Narendra ModiIJ Will the Congress now prohibit criticism of what Rahul Gandhi saysIJ Proscribe lampooning of the Crown PrinceIJ Will a similar demand be made of speeches of Congress president and National Advisory Council chairperson
Sonia GandhiIJ These are some of the questions that come to mind on reading the ‘advisory’ of the Soviet era Ministry.
Sadly, these — and more — questions should have been raised by the affected television channels, but they have chosen to keep silent, to be timid in the face of the Congress’s stunningly un-democratic aggression and arrogance.
Here is the full text of the notice. I would like you to decide for yourself what could be the motives behind this stern warning. And why an issue possibly relevant at best on August 15 or immediately thereafter is being raked up in end-October as campaigning for the general election gathers steam.
“No.804/1 56/201 3-BC-lll
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
& BROADCASTING
‘A’ WING, SHASTRI BHAWAN
NEW DElHI-11OOO1
Dated 21st October, 2013
ADVISORY
“Whereas it had come to the notice of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting that certain TV channels attempted to denigrate the Office of the Prime Minister of India by constantly trying to compare the speech of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India with the speech of other political leaders on 15th August, 2013.
“Whereas the telecast of this kind of programme on a day when entire nation was celebrating its 67th Independence Day is highly objectionable. The Prime Minister spoke from the Ramparts of the Red Fort, as the Prime Minister of the country and not as a leader of a political party. Therefore, on such a solemn day to put him in an artificial competition with anyone is not appropriate. On Independence Day when the Prime Minister addresses the nation and the country is united in the emotions of national integrity, patriotism and national fervor, the attempt by certain TV channels to denigrate the status of the Prime Minister can best be described as sensational and against all norms of ethical journalism.
“Whereas, as per Section 5 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995read with Rule 6(1 X) & (i) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, as amended from time to time, no programme can be transmitted/retransmitted on any Cable Service which contains anything offensive against good taste or decency; and criticises, maligns or slanders any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country.
“Whereas, according to the basic conditions/obligations of permission/approval for Uplinking/Downlinking of TV Channels in India, the channels are bound to follow the Programme Code and Advertising Code as prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder.
“Therefore, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, in exercise of powers under Uplinking/Downlinking Guidelines issued by it, the terms of permission granted to the Channel to uplink/downlink TV Channels and under Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, hereby advises all News & Current Affairs TV Channels to follow the provisions of the Programme and Advertising Codes scrupulously and keep the significance of the solemn days like Independence Day, etc. in view while carrying the speech of the Prime Minister and the President of India.
“It is also brought to the notice of all TV channels that any further violation of the provisions of the Programme/Advertising Code would attract penal provisions stipulated in Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995and the terms and conditions of uplinking and downlinking guidelines.”
(The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi)