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This misadventure will blow up in their face: N. Ram

By Our Special Correspondent

The Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Ram, addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Saturday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore Nov. 8. The Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Ram, today expressed confidence that the Judiciary would provide immediate relief and stay on the "misadventure" of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, which has passed a resolution of simple imprisonment to three directors and two senior journalists of the newspaper.

Talking to presspersons here, Mr. Ram said that efforts were on to get immediate correction to the "unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic" act of the Tamil Nadu Legislature. "It is a violation of the freedom of speech and expression, which is derived from the Fundamental Rights as enunciated in the Constitution. We are confident that the Judiciary will uphold it."

The issue had brought into spotlight the institutional question of reasonable restriction in the freedom of the press and legislative privileges. While most legislature proceedings were being conducted without affecting the freedom of the press, it was only in Tamil Nadu, of late, that the press was being targeted. "It is patented in Tamil Nadu and we are going to respond to that," he said.

Asked if The Hindu would seek the dismissal of the Tamil Nadu Government, Mr. Ram replied: "We do not make such demands. It is not our editorial assessment that we want Article 356 to be imposed."

Questioned on the efforts that were on to stop the Tamil Nadu Government from targeting the press, more so The Hindu, Mr. Ram said, "We have to stop them at the starting blocks. This is a misadventure which is guaranteed to blow up in their face. We tried to normalise the relations between the press and the Government initially, but nothing came of it." On the action of the Tamil Nadu Legislature, Mr. Ram said that certain groups behind the Assembly were claiming "sky-high powers". There had been instances wherein the legislatures arrogated power to themselves, he said and mentioned that in the Indian context the "Constitution was supreme, unlike in England where Parliament is supreme. Legislature is not sovereign, not even the Lok Sabha.''

Mr. Ram said there had been a longstanding demand for codification of legislative privileges, but the legislative bodies in India and elsewhere were hesitant to codify them. The question was which should prevail — freedom of the press or legislative privilege?

Asked why the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, was targeting The Hindu and had been unrelenting in her pursuit of it, Mr. Ram said, "She cannot continue to be unrelenting. The time is nearing for them to see the wrong committed."

Categorically denying that The Hindu was trying to defame the Chief Minister, Mr. Ram asked: "What is that got to do with privilege or interference with the functions of the Legislature? We will present detailed material to the people on what we have reported for them to judge." The press in Tamil Nadu was rallying behind The Hindu and it was not true that the Tamil Nadu press was not upstanding, despite the external shackles that had been placed on it by the Government, he said.

Advani informed

Mr. Ram said he spoke to the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and had apprised him of the developments in Chennai on Friday. Mr. Advani had expressed concern over the events. Mr. Ram disclosed that the call was not meant to seek any relief from any Government, but was primarily meant to wish Mr. Advani on his birthday. The Deputy Prime Minister is said to have expressed concern and recalled the Emergency days when the freedom of the press was affected.

Similar concern, he said, had been expressed by several eminent personalities and readers. He mentioned that many political leaders, barring that of the AIADMK, who spoke to him, had expressed their solidarity. Among them were Ram Vilas Paswan, Digvijay Singh and others, but added that he was not interested in name-dropping.

He mentioned that there was also a suggestion by the political commentator, Cho Ramaswamy, that all newspapers publish the "offending'' news reports and the editorial. Asked whether he would publish the reports and editorial all over again, Mr. Ram said: "I would if I went by my editorial judgment."

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