The Hindu : Krishna deplores attempts to gag the media

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

Front Page

Front Page

Krishna deplores attempts to gag the media

By S. Rajendran

The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, speaking at the 125th anniversary celebrations of The Hindu in Bangalore on Saturday. Others (from right) are the Kannada writer, U.R. Ananthamurthy, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Jagadish Shettar, the Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Ram, the Joint Managing Director, N. Murali and the Wipro Chairman, Azim Premji. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore Nov. 8. The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, who was the chief guest at the 125th anniversary celebrations of The Hindu here today, deplored the attempts in the States to gag the media.

In an address which was well-received by the gathering, more so in the light of the developments in Chennai where the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has handed out 15 days simple imprisonment to the Publisher, Editors and senior journalists of The Hindu, the Chief Minister said, "pernicious tendencies are now creeping into the body politic. Every effort should be made to stop such developments in the interest of a better upkeep of democracy''.

Mr. Krishna said there was a need for a pragmatic and bilateral approach in the prevention of hostility among institutions arising out of the freedom of the press. "As a member of a democracy I realise the values of a free press. I also see, unfortunately, the abuses of the same freedom and this can involve retaliation and hostility, which put institutions at loggerheads. Hence there is a need for a bilateral approach in exercise of freedom and restraint,'' he said.

The Chief Minister, obliquely referring to the order of the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday pertaining to a privilege issue and the subsequent aggressive postures of the Chennai police, said the Karnataka Government would stand by The Hindu and that he was happy to note that the members of management of the newspaper were in Bangalore to go ahead with the celebrations irrespective of the difficulties encountered in Chennai. "I was concerned and perturbed on receipt of the information. The galaxy of people attending the celebrations is indicative of the reputation of The Hindu and the manner in which people stand by it,'' he said.

Mr. Krishna said successive governments in Karnataka had stood by The Hindu. "M. Visvesvaraya in 1928 said that The Hindu occupies a pre-eminent position in the field of journalism in India; that as an organ of public opinion it has a wide following and that as an exponent of Indian public opinion it is second to none in the country. Seventy-five years later, these words stand tall today and The Hindu is an exemplar of fair and objective journalism and espouses the highest standards in comment and fidelity. Contemporary events have truly vindicated Sir Visvesvaraya's statement that its views and policies are dictated by considerations of national interest and broadminded patriotism," he said.

The Chief Minister himself an ardent second-generation reader of The Hindu said the habit of reading newspapers had become widespread in the country and as per a report of the Registrar of Newspapers the daily circulation of various publications was about 60 millions with a readership of about 150 millions. "The Indian press in general and The Hindu in particular are successfully engaged in moulding public opinion and creating awareness and The Hindu has remained steadfast to its core principles — truth-telling, freedom, independence, humaneness and contribution to the social good. An independent judiciary and a free press, coupled with the democratic assertions of the people, have made the Indian polity durable and sustainable.''

The Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Ram, in his welcome address, said Karnataka occupied a special place in the newspaper's operations, history and sentiments. Referring to Mr. Krishna, he said, "Let me say Chief Minister, on behalf of an independent press and indeed the news media, it is a pleasure to be able to deal with a head of a government who is a model of accessibility, friendliness and `forthcoming-ness'.'' The Bangalore edition of The Hindu started in 1970 and had now been followed up with an edition from Mangalore.

Referring to the incidents on Friday in Chennai, Mr. Ram said, "Our paper has been targeted. It is unconstitutional, illegal and anti-democratic. The police invaded our office seeking to arrest the newspaper's Editors and staff members without warrant and later came there for the second time to search the office premises with incomplete papers. However, we do not want the incidents in Chennai to cast a shadow on an important event in Bangalore today though I cannot avoid mentioning them."

The Joint Managing Director of The Hindu, N. Murali, who proposed a vote of thanks, spoke of the importance that The Hindu management attached to its operations in Karnataka.

`A disquieting trend'

In an attack on the prevailing political ethos in the country and also a disquieting trend in the media, the Jnanpith Award winner, U.R. Ananthamurthy, referred to the way the likes of Praveen Togadia and Laloo Prasad Yadav had come to be lionised. Such a thing was not possible some decades ago. The newspapers in the past were ignoring the type of speeches being delivered by Mr. Togadia. But the media today was given to sensationalising events and issues.

The Chairman and Managing Director of Wipro, Azim H. Premji, referred to projections which spoke of India's potential to out-beat many other nations and rank along with the U.S. and China in the decades to come. It could overtake Japan, Germany, France and Italy, he said.

The Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Jagadish Shettar, spoke about why he appreciated The Hindu despite his strong views on certain issues.

The elite, the intelligentsia and people from a cross-section of society formed the large gathering at the function held at the Ambedkar Bhavan. The dignitaries, including the Chief Minister, were presented with the traditional ponnadai and later given a memento to mark the celebrations.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section

Krishna deplores attempts to gag the media

Supreme Court to hear The Hindu Editors' petition on Monday

A daylong wait

Advani `pained'

Sonia, Chandrababu Naidu affirm support

T.N. policemen intercept N. Ram's car

30 feared drowned in Ganga