Oppn flays Govt over Prasar Bharati issue

He expressed concern that there was no chairman, no member representing finance and personnel, no chief executive officer CEO and no director general of Doordarshan and All India Radio on the Prasar Bharati board.

All this, Gadgil said, was 8220;part of a larger picture of infiltrationquot; of the media.

He said independence of autonomous institutions like Nehru museum and library and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Art and Culture and similar other bodies was also in danger as quot;people of political conveniencequot; were being placed everywhere.

Seeking an assurance from the Government that the autonomy of Prasar Bharati would be maintained, he said of late quot;Doordarshan has become Vajpayee Darshanquot;.

He was supported by many Opposition members but opposed by K R Malkani BJP.

When Malkani offered to clarify the position, the BJP member was shouted down by a number of Opposition members who asked in which capacity he wanted to give clarifications when leader of the house Jaswant Singh was present.

Associating with the issue, Malkani said the then information and broadcating minister S Jaipal Reddy had mutilated the Prasar Bharati Act by quot;arbitrarilyquot; amending it even though the legislation had been approved by both Houses of Parliament and signed by the President.

Malkani said there was nothing wrong in retiring one-thirds members of the board after a two-year term as per the provisions in the original act.

Describing the Government8217;s action in removing the two members as quot;infringementquot; of the jurisdiction of the Prasar Bharati, CPIM member Sarala Maheshwari said Romila Thapar and Rajendra Yadav were the most vocal and active members of the board.

She asked whether the Government would not hear an Opposition member and remove all those having a dissenting voice.