After the INDIA bloc decided to boycott shows of 14 television news anchors, Aam Aadmi Party leader and minister Atishi said that the party spokesperson has the freedom to choose the channel they want to go to.
Atishi told ANI, “We are in support of the freedom of the media. But it is any party spokesperson's freedom to choose the channel and the anchors in whose program they want to go or not. We also have this freedom."
INDIA bloc's media committee on Thursday decided to boycott the TV news shows of several journalists. The list shared by leaders of the INDIA bloc contains the names of 14 news anchors.
Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U leader Nitish Kumar on Saturday made a reference to the boycott by INDIA bloc of shows of 14 television news anchors and said he is not against anyone and “those who are with us must have felt that something is happening”.
"I have no idea about this...I am in support of journalists. When everyone gets full freedom, journalists will write what they like. Are they controlled? Have I ever done it? They have rights, I am not against anyone. Right now those who are at the Centre have controlled a few people. Those who are with us must have felt that something is happening. However, I am not against anyone,” Nitish Kumar told journalists in response to a query.
JD-U is part of the INDIA bloc.
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday said that the INDIA alliance has “not boycotted or blacklisted anyone” but it is a movement of non-cooperation and that leaders of the opposition bloc will start attending shows of 14 journalists named if they realise their mistakes.
"We have not banned, boycotted or blacklisted anyone. This is a non-cooperation movement, we will not cooperate with anyone spreading hatred in the society...They are not our enemies," Mr Khera said.
BJP has strongly attacked the opposition bloc over its decision.
Boycott of media and journalists is not new; it is just a rehearsal, as the Congress party had done the same thing in 1975, said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday, addressing a media conference in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.
The salvo was fired as the Opposition bloc INDIA on Thursday released a "boycott list" of TV anchors and journalists. "This boycott and media censorship can be traced back to 1975. It is not new. It is a rehearsal for you," said the Assam Chief Minister.
"For any reason, if the Congress government comes to power, the media will get censored, but ISRO has made the Chandrayaan at the right time. I will send the entire Congress party to the moon to form a government there. This is childish," Mr Sarma quipped.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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