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| Scribes' boycott against Speaker's remarks continues | | No headway as Govt's 'reconciliatory' efforts fizzle out - - PDP's solidarity move: boycott LA proceedings | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 28: Notwithstanding the reconciliatory efforts of the government to ensure presence of media in the Assembly for coverage and despite almost entire opposition expressing solidarity sentiment with the cause of journalists, the stalemate continued as 'meeting' with the Speaker of J&K Assembly Mohammad Akbar Lone did not materialize following which the entire fraternity today boycotted Legislature proceedings for the second consecutive day . The media resolved to continue the boycott until their demand of Speaker withdrawing the remarks made about media functioning was conceded . The principle opposition PDP too boycotted the legislative proceedings in the lower House in order to show solidarity with the media fraternity.
It was in continuance of the call given a day earlier the media persons associated with both print and electronic this morning again assembled outside the Legislative Assembly complex and sat on dharna, raising the only demand that Speaker to 'expunge' his remarks in which he stated that 'Media is under my control……they need to reveal the sources they publish…….' . The MLAs of various parties and Ali Mohammad Sagar in capacity of Parliamentary Affairs Minister approached media fraternity on dharna and tried to convince that media presence was vital and in the interests of entire House, asking them to attend the proceedings. The main opposition party Peoples Democratic Party boycotted the assembly proceedings in order to express solidarity with journalists fraternity. The PDP had also moved adjournment motion a day before seeking suspension of routine business and discuss the issue with the Speaker. The motion , according to PDP MLA Nizam-u-Din Bhat was rejected by the Speaker. "We are with you and we have also boycotted the Assembly session for today……..the party leadership shall howver decide about future strategy in the evening ", PDP leader said while talking to journalists outside the Assembly complex. Several other organizations have also extended their full support to the media fraternity in this context.
Till late evening there was no headway on this account. The PDP had also moved adjournment motion yesterday to suspend routine business and discuss the issue with the Speaker, who rejected it. "We are with you and we have also boycotted the Assembly session for today", Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, Senior party leader told reporters. He, however, said the next course of action would be decided by the party in the evening
Earlier CPI(M) legislator M Y Tarigami, PDP's Nizamudin Bhat, Abdul Haq Khan and Abdul Gafar Sofi and MLC Murtaza Khan too visited the agitating media to express their solidarity with them.
Speaking on the occasion Tarigami said that media and legislature were inseparable and both were incomplete without one another. "To break the stalemate, both have to be reconciliatory" Tarigami said but he was quick to add that he came here on his own to express solidarity with media fraternity and was not speaking on behalf of any one.
However, journalists insisted it was only after Speaker assured that he did not mean what he commented the other day and direct the remarks be expunged, In order to end the stalemate even as the representatives of government including the two Advisors to Chief Minister Devinder Rana and Mubarak Gul besides the Secretary of the Assembly conveyed it to the media in the morning that as a 'middle path' a meeting had been fixed in the afternoon with the Speaker during which the scribes could put forth their point in a clear manner. " The entire House including the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed the sentiment that media presence was must……he has also made an appeal to Speaker to call all media representatives back", Rana said while speaker to media outside the Assembly complex. The chief Minister has also expressed in the House that without opposition and media the Legislature is incomplete, he further said adding " now it is up to you all to decide whether they would join duties now or after the meeting".
However the reconciliatory gesture from the government fizzled out as they failed to keep their commitment, contending the Speaker was not available, despite the media representatives having waited for over three hours for the meeting. Later the media assembled in the Press Club lawns where a meeting was held in which future course of action was decided in the wake of the developments that preceded. It was decided that the media persons will assemble outside the legislature complex at 10.00 AM tomorrow to resume their protest and after staging a token sit-in dharna there for half an hour and later will hold a march towards Press Club of Jammu to chalk out further strategy.
In the meeting the representatives of protesting media stated that they were not for uncalled for confrontation between two vital pillars of democracy i.e., legislature and the fourth estate and had all respect for the constitutional authority of the Chair. They said that the Speaker is the facilitator of the coverage of proceedings which they have always appreciated and respected. However at the same time no compromise could be made vis-à-vis freedom of press and the fraternity would continue to fight against all attempts to gag media. Given the importance of issue, it was also decided to rope in influential media organizations across the country besides approaching Press Council of India against any attempt impinging on the freedom of the fourth estate. The unanimous decision was to sustain campaign till its logical end. |
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