Two members of the UP Assembly - one from the ruling SP and another from the BJP - blamed electronic media for carrying out a salacious campaign against them and sought action against these channels.
Taking cognizance of the issue, Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey asked the members to move a privilege notice under rule 63 against these news channels so that action could be taken initiated against them.
State minister and SP member from Ayodhya Tej Narain Pandey alias Pawan Pandey raised the issue immediately after the House assembledon Thursday. He alleged that a news channel has been showing for the last three days that he had met Union Home minister Rajnath Singh along with BJP MP from Faizabad lallu Singh and was claiming that he was slated to join the BJP.
“This news is false as I have neither met Rajnath Singh nor have I spoken to lallu Singh. The channel is trying to defame me as I have never compromised with communal forces in the past and will never do so in future,” he said.
Similarly, BJP member from Muzaffarnagar, Kapildeo Agrawal said a Hindi news channel through a fake sting operation aired that he was trying to instigate communal riots in the region. Agarwal said that the channel showed that a SP MlA was also behind such conspiracy.
“Such defamatory reports have hurt my image in the constituency. Strict action should be taken against the channel,” he demanded.
Intervening in the issue, Parliamentary Affairs minister Azam Khan questioned intention of the news channels. “Such reports dent the image of the channels and they dont realize this,” he said.