Gag on NDTV India is in interest of country's safety and security: Govt

Chennai: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday defended the one day ban imposed on NDTV India over its Pathankot coverage and said the decision is for the safety and security of the country.

"This action of asking a TV channel to take off for one day is in the interest of the country's safety and security. NDTV India ban is a logical conclusion of concerns voiced by the UPA government over coverage of anti-terror operations since 26/11,” Naidu told media.

He claimed that the decision against NDTV India was not based on 'any newly invented rule and principle'. He added that the belated criticism is clearly ill informed and politically inspired to create a controversy.

The I&B Ministry had issued an order saying that NDTV India should be taken off air for a day on November 9 after an inter-ministerial panel constituted by the ministry recommended this action over the broadcaster's coverage of the Pathankot terror attack in January.

The channel had maintained the said information was already in public domain.

Earlier on Saturday, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stressed that the ban was a security-related issue and the channel appeared to have violated guidelines for coverage of terror attacks.

"It is not a ban. They have been asked to put off the channel temporarily for a day," Parrikar told reporters in Panaji in response to a query.

"When you show the anti-terror operation live, the handlers of terrorists get the information.... It appears that these guidelines were violated by the channel during the Pathakot attack coverage. It appears like that," he said.

The minister added, "The guidelines on airing the live anti-terrorist operations were issued by the UPA government after the (26/11) 2008 Mumbai attack. In last five years, there were 21 such incidents wherein different channels violated the guidelines."

Parrikar said the instructions issued to the channel by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is a security-related issue.

However, the ban on the leading Hindi TV channel has drawn sharp condemnation from opposition parties and media bodies which called it "shocking and authoritarian" and reminiscent of Emergency days.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier on Saturday flayed the NDA government's decision to ban NDTV India for a day terming it as an "insult to freedom of expression."

"The central government's decision to ban NDTV India is condemnable. The decision is tantamount to controlling the freedom of media. It is quite necessary to have a free and impartial media in a country like India," Kumar said in a statement in Patna.

The decision of Information and Broadcasting Ministry to ban NDTV India for 24 hours on November 9 must be treated with strong contempt, Kumar, who is also JD(U) President, said.

"The present central government's decision to control media's freedom is a complete disregard to the right to freedom of expression," he said adding that media, which is considered as fourth estate in a democracy, also plays a very important role in raising people's voice and concerns.

Just as legislature enacts laws, the executive implements them and the judiciary interprets them apart from punishing those who violates the law, the same way media, being the fourth estate in a democracy, has a very big role to play by creating awareness among the masses through debates and discussions on various contemporary issues, he added.

Meanwhile, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also condemned the government action and said it is an "attack on democracy" and a step towards "emergency and dictatorship" in the country.

"A popular channel has reported an incident. Banning it for a day is an attack on democracy. Narendra Modi, BJP and RSS are taking the country toward emergency and dictatorship", Lalu said while addressing Samajwadi Party's silver juibilee celebrations in Lucknow.

Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav also drew parallels to the emergency, saying such measures had been seen during the period when media was gagged.

"I want to advise all BJP men to remain alert. You have attacked media and this will be taken seriously," he said.

The decision to put off the prominent TV channel for a day has attracted strong criticism from Congress, Trinamool Congress, RJD and now JD(U).