| BJP has more spokespersons, media managers few | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 19: The state unit of the BJP has recently appointed battery of party leaders as official spokespersons to handle media in the run up to the 2014 Assembly polls.
But on Tuesday when Union Human Resources and Development Minister Smriti Irani arrived here to address a Karyakarta sammelan the entire media was barred from covering the function.
Interestingly, the state unit of the BJP had issued a formal invitation to media houses requesting them to send their correspondents and photo journalists to cover the function.
The self styled media managers of the party some how managed to push inside their favorite photojournalists and cameramen of news channels but by and large the media was barred from attending Irani's address.
"It is unfortunate that the media was not allowed to enter the hall and cover the function despite invitation," Deepak Khajuria-Bureau Chief, Jammu, Day and Night News Channel said. He said if the BJP leadership had directions from the high command, they should not have invited the media.
"The BJP leadership should have issued a fresh e-mail to the media houses with an advisory that Ms Irani will not be interacting or issuing any statement to media so that we would have not visited the venue and get humiliated," Sominder Koul, Jammu Bureau Chief, ANI said with resentment. Meanwhile at the venue, Ms Irani when asked for comments, rejected the charges and said those who had extended the invitation to media should apologise. BJP spokesperson and press secretary Balbir Ram, who extended the invitations, said, "the programme was coordinated by the party state general secretary Bali Bhagat and despite directions from the high command, he told us to invite media." Mr Ram said in future also such 'sammelans' will be held and addressed by the BJP stalwarts ahead of Assembly elections to accomplish 'Mission 44 plus'. |
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