Naidu sees bid to politicise TV channel issue

The belated criticism of the action proposed to be taken against NDTV India for violating the norms of live coverage of anti-terrorist operations in Pathankot in January this year is clearly ill informed and politically inspired, he told reporters here. “Such reactions that came a day after the Government’s decision was in public domain on Nov 3 was clearly an afterthought, suggesting a motivated design to create a controversy where none existed,” the minister said. 

He asserted the UPA Governments, during 2005-14, banned several channels in 21 instances for showing obscene visuals, he said. The Minister said the decision against NDTV India was not based on any new rule. 

Rejecting criticism that compared the present case to Emergency, Naidu said many BJP leaders were at the “worst receiving end of emergency and would shudder to even think of doing the same to others, particularly, in respect of media freedom.”