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Journalism of Courage
The Trinamool Congress government got into a fresh spat with the Opposition CPM on Friday when Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay banned media conferences at the press room of the State Assembly when there is no session.
Earlier,permission was not needed from the Speaker to hold press conferences during sessions at the Assembly press corner,though in the absence of sessions,permission had to be sought from the Speaker.
In a circular issued on Friday,the Speaker said no press conference could be held there when the Assembly is not in session. Quite naturally,the CPM saw red in this move of the ruling party and called it draconian. The move is unconstitutional and unjust. They want to trample democracy. We will not tolerate it, Shymal Chakrabarti,CPM state secretariat member said.
The Trinamool Congress,however,defended the move saying they were doing it for better running of the Assembly. It is the inhabitants of the house who decide how the house will be run. It was former Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim who banished TV cameras from the premises of the Assembly, Madan Mitra,minister for transport and sports,said.
According to CPM,while ministers can address the press at their respective chambers in the Assembly,the Opposition can not do so. Till 2009,TV cameras were allowed inside the Assembly premises and press conferences were held inside too. Following an unpleasant incident involving a TV journalist,the then Speaker,Hasim Abdul Halim,banned TV cameras inside the premises. Soon a separate press corner was built on the lawns of the Assembly.
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