Poll-wary Govt eases Doordarshan boss out

When contacted, I&B Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad did not deny that Quraishi was about to be moved out. But he said he did not want to add anything. ‘‘I don’t comment against any officer,’’ he told The Indian Express.

Quraishi, appointed by Prasad’s predecessor Sushma Swaraj, was on a three-year deputation to DD and his term was to have ended only in December 2004. He’s the first official to be appointed by the Prasar Bharati Board.

From the day Prasad took over, there has been speculation in Shastri Bhavan over Quraishi’s future. The Minister, say sources in Shastri Bhavan, was not very happy with him, especially over the ‘‘delay’’ in restarting DD (News) billed to replace DD Metro.

With the possibility of a mid-term poll not ruled out, Prasad had hoped that it could be started by September but was apparently told by the DG that this wasn’t going to be easy.

Quraishi, who was unavailable for comment, is also believed to have resisted the possible induction of Nalin Kohli, joint convenor of the BJP’s media cell, to help run the 24-hour DD news channel, say sources close to the DG. Those opposed to him ‘‘rubbish’’ this explanation.

Nalin Kohli, who was an anchor in Doordarshan till two years ago and then joined the BJP, denied that he had been sounded out. ‘‘I haven’t heard anything about it. I left DD on Feb 21, 2001 when I read the last bulletin. I haven’t been to Mandi House for months. Nobody has ascertained my views on the subject. Any kind of serious responsibility after all involves a discussion process,’’ said Kohli, considered close to BJP chief M. Venkaiah Naidu.

Before Sushma Swaraj brought Quraishi into I&B, Quraishi was Secretary to the Haryana Chief Minister and earlier was Power Secretary in Bansi Lal’s Government.