The Hindu : Attempts to stifle media: Cong.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 29, 2002

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Attempts to stifle media: Cong.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JUNE 28. The Congress today indicated that it would try to force a discussion on the "attacks on the freedom of the Press" by the "semi-fascist" BJP Government under a substantive motion in the monsoon session of Parliament.

While the "interrogation'' of Alex Perry, Time magazine correspondent, who recently wrote an article on the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the raid on the premises of the Tehelka portal this week were the immediate reasons for the Congress criticism, the party spokesman, Jaipal Reddy, said the "onslaught" had been going on for some time now.

The Congress could not remain a mute spectator to the slow but sure "baring of the semi-fascist fangs'' of the BJP, Mr. Reddy said, adding that the Tehelka case had shown that under a BJP Government "the investigators, and not the culprits, would be investigated''.

Of the view that the CBI raids on the Tehelka portal premises was an attempt to "stifle the media", Mr. Reddy said no FIR had till date been filed by the investigating agency against the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, the former BJP president, Bangaru Laxman and the Samata party leader, Jaya Jaitly.

On Mr. Perry's claim that the Time "emphatically stands by its story", the Congress has taken the position that in the light of his determined stance and the "loud denial'' from the Prime Minister's Office, the "people of India have the right to know the actual truth. The Prime Minister could very well file a libel suit against the magazine.''

Mr. Reddy said the "way Alex Perry has been subjected to harassment and humiliation has brought disgrace to our democracy''.

Questioning the need to summon Mr. Perry to the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office, he said the country ought to be taken into confidence if something was amiss.

However, Mr. Reddy parried questions on the raid carried out by the Congress Government in Kerala on the premises of a television channel which had aired "incriminating evidence'' against the State Tourism Minister, K.V. Thomas.

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