Election Commission ordered Delhi CEO to ensure no content is aired on NaMo TV without pre-certification
The BJP has assured the Delhi Chief Electoral Office that only pre-authorised content will air on NaMo TV and submitted content for certification, sources said, after an Election Commission directive that the party cannot air any non-certified content on the 24-hour channel exclusively featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches and pro-BJP content, in the middle of the national election.
"The BJP responded to our communication last evening assuring that only pre-certified content will air... Media Certification and Monitoring Committee in the Delhi CEO is examining the content," sources told NDTV.
The Delhi CEO had written to the BJP not to air any content on NaMo TV after it was asked by the Election Commission to get its order implemented. As a precautionary measure, two officials have also been deployed to monitor the content that airs on NaMo TV, officials said on Friday evening.
The Election Commission had on Thursday said that since NaMo TV was sponsored by the BJP, all recorded programs shown on the platform must be pre-certified by the media certification and monitoring committee of Delhi.
An official said political parties usually submit audio-visual content for pre-certification, without specifying on which platform it will be aired. The content may be aired during an election rally or even on the party's official website and social media accounts, he said.
NaMo TV had mysteriously showed up on satellite TV networks late last month, drawing protests from the opposition.
Tagged officially as a marketing channel but also called a "news service" by some providers, NaMo TV is being beamed to all subscribers of most DTH (Direct-To-Home) platforms since March 28. The government said the channel, which borrows the PM's initials and his image for its logo, did not need a license.
The Congress had filed a complaint with the Election Commission, saying that NaMo TV was disturbing the level playing field at the time of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Taking note of the Congress's complaint, the Election Commission had asked the Delhi CEO to file a report on the issue.
The Delhi CEO had approved the logo of NaMo TV, which the BJP said was part of the NaMo App that it owns, but did not "certify" the content as it contained old speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With inputs from PTI