Cable men declare tube war on BJP

The Congress may not have finalised its strategy to counter the BJP’s ‘‘India Shining’’ campaign but 35,000 cable o...

The Congress may not have finalised its strategy to counter the BJP’s ‘‘India Shining’’ campaign but 35,000 cable operators across the country are ready with theirs. Beginning March 9, operators will meet to put the finishing touches on a door-door campaign against the Government.

With every cable operator catering to 200-odd homes, operators hope to cover the entire cabled-countryside in the coming days. In Karnataka, operators led by Sudeesh Kumar who speaks for his counterparts in all four southern states under the banner of South India Cable Operators’ Welfare Association banner, says nothing is shining for them. ‘‘We will tell everyone how the Government framed its policies without taking our interests into account. They have imposed 20 per cent entertainment tax, service tax without bringing broadcasters within the ambit of any law,’’ says Kumar.

So while in Gujarat, the operators are hitting the roads with a Public Jagrukta Yatra to highlight their plight, in Delhi, it is a door-to-door campaign, with films against the Government on the local channel.

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In Andhra Pradesh, cable operator Srinivasa Rao is planning to contest the elections from Machchlipatnam, and vows to protect the interests of his counterparts in the state and outside. ‘‘No one is listening to us. I asked the Congress for two seats and am awaiting the party’s response,’’ says Rao.

Says Pramod Pandya, who is part of yatra: ‘‘We have 16 lakh cable connections in Gujarat, we can easily approach the households.’’ Pandya says Gujarat is sensitive to the issue and the people will definitely respond.

The operators also alleged that the Government has not been serious in implementing the Conditional Access system (CAS) which would have made the cable industry transparent. ‘‘We have nearly eight lakh cable connections and we are a big service industry, we would like to represented in the Assembly,’’ says Amit Prakash, another cable operator, adding he is against the RJD for doing nothing on the issue but would support the party if it highlights their cause.

‘‘People allow us inside their homes. They wouldn’t do that if they did not trust us,’’ says Roop Sharma, president of the Cable Operators Association.