The Hindu : T.N. Assembly action criticised

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 09, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

T.N. Assembly action criticised

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE NOV. 8. The Minister for Urban Development, D.K. Shivakumar, said today that it was time the judiciary, the legislature, and the media came out with a formula on what constituted breach of privilege to protect the freedom of the press from people's representatives.

Speaking at a press conference here, he said the arrest orders passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly against the Editor of The Hindu, its Executive Editor, and other top executives and editorial staff on the charge of breach of privilege "would only hurt the interest of that State Government."

He said democracy should strengthen the media and it was the duty of the people's representatives to protect it.

Our Bijapur Staff Correspondent reports:

Non-governmental organisations, leaders from different walks of life, and people have expressed concern over what they termed attempts by the Tamil Nadu Government to curtail the freedom of the press.

The Union Minister of State for Railways, Basanagouda Patil R. Yatnal, condemned the happenings at the headquarters of the newspaper in Chennai. Terming the developments an assault on the freedom of expression, he said The Hindu was known for its unbiased and impartial reporting.

"Those in power should learn to accept healthy criticism and encourage public evaluation of their governance. The leaders must welcome debates on issues related to governance. If democracy is to be strengthened in the country, freedom of the press should be protected," he said.

Our Chitradurga Staff Correspondent reports:

The Kannada Sahitya Parishat today condemned the action of the Tamil Nadu Assembly against The Hindu.

The president of the Parishat, Harikrishna Punaroor, told presspersons that the move was an assault on democratic principles. "It should be condemned by one and all.''

Earlier in the day, presspersons in Chitradurga staged a protest against what they defined as an attack on the press by the Tamil Nadu Assembly. They shouted slogans against the "high handedness" of the Government.

Our Bellary Special Correspondent reports:

The State unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has condemned the move. S. Prasanna Kumar, general secretary of the State unit of the party, said the action only showed that the Tamil Nadu Assembly wanted to bring everyone, including the press, under its control. Suppressing the right of freedom and expression guaranteed in the Indian Constitution was condemnable. Mr. Prasanna Kumar urged the Speaker to withdraw the orders immediately.

Out Tumkur Staff Correspondent reports:

The former Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and BJP leader, S. Mallikarjunaiah, said today that the legislature had the responsibility of upholding justice in public life. It should avoid confrontation with the press.

Mr. Mallikarjunaiah said: "So far as my experience with The Hindu goes, it has always been in the forefront in respecting public dignity, privilege, and functioning of democratic institutions at all levels."

Our Bangalore Special Correspondent reports:

Distraught readers of The Hindu kept calling the newspaper's office here since early Saturday morning. There were anxious queries about whether any journalist had been arrested and on the situation at the Chennai office. One elderly reader was overcome with emotion and said: "I have been a reader of The Hindu for more than 50 years now. I feel what happened in Chennai is an attack on my own home and family."

Other readers made remarks comparing the action of the Tamil Nadu Assembly to those by authoritarian regimes.

Most touching was the solidarity expressed by journalists of other publications who called up their colleagues in The Hindu, Bangalore: "We are one with you in this... what affects the freedom of one newspaper concerns all of us." Many others associated with the editorial team of this newspaper called the office to offer their congratulations on the 125th anniversary celebrations and added: "God bless The Hindu family."

The journalists of the Kannada eveninger here, Sanje Vani, sported black badges and protested against the "undemocratic action" of the Tamil Nadu Assembly and police who raided The Hindu office and residences of its editors and journalists in Chennai.

Guild condemns attack

The Bangalore Reporters' Guild has also condemned the action of the Tamil Nadu Asembly and termed it as a direct attack on democratic norms. The president of the Guild, K.R. Prahalada, said the Speaker's move was all the more repugnant as the target of attack was a respected newspaper. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, could have approached the courts if she felt she had been dragged into unnecessary controversies by the media. Instead she had chosen to take the law into her own hands. ``The Guild would support the newspaper and its journalists who were under attack,'' Mr. Prahalada said.

Mahendra S. Kanthi, Professor of International Economics in the Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan, has said that the action was a blemish on Indian democracy. Dr. Kanthi, son of the former Chief Minister and Speaker of the State Assembly, S.R. Kanthi, said The Hindu had a rich tradition of serving the nation and its Editor-in-Chief, N. Ram, was an internationally known journalist.

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