"The Bill was not targeted at Gill… he has made the fight personal. I haven’t"

She may just be bracing herself for another outcry if she issues an ordinance. But the Minister for Information and Broadcasting has all her arguments in order as she answers a series of questions in a free-wheeling interview with Kaveree Bamzai.

Do you feel that compared to your 13-day stint in 1996 you have frittered fartoo much energy on the Prasar Bharati Bill?

Not at all. In these four months, we’ve done a lot. We’ve given industry status to the film world, freed many publication titles. It is the media which has projected the Prasar Bharati issue. And now unfortunately it has become a one-to-one battle, which is in bad taste. The Bill was not targeted at Gill, although I feel the age of 62 is desirable. I never even mentioned his name when I was discussing it in the Lok Sabha. He has made the fight personal. I haven’t.

How is your agenda for the Information and Broadcasting Ministry different from last time?

Well, people had very high expectations of me because of my activist stand against vulgarity last time. The general public doesn’t understand the concept of autonomy of Prasar Bharati. They hold me accountable. And when I can’t do anything, they think I’ve become very dhila (lax). As a minister I am accountable to the people. Prasar Bharati should also be accountable to Parliament. Ministers can beaccused of subjective judgement but a 22-member committee of Parliament can fulfil people’s aspirations, as can a Broadcasting Council. In the past four months I have not met a single producer or employee of Doordarshan who is happy with its functioning. But I have no redress for them.

Since you are also handling the Communications Ministry, is there a possibility of a merger of your two ministries, connected as they are?

Well, there is no doubt that technology is converging at a very fast pace. But it is the prerogative of the Prime Minister to keep the ministries separate or merge them or give them to two ministers. That is not material for me. But as I am heading both, I believe I have been able to hasten some processes — like uplinking would have taken more than three months, in convincing my colleague and speaking to VSNL, etc.

As a minister, you must be having a vision of where television is headed?

The one thing I want to emphasise is that in India, TV is not in people’s bedroomsbut in their living rooms. It is watched by a three-year-old as well as an 80-year-old these are people with very delicate relationships: a father and daughter, a mother and son, a father-in-law and a daughter-in-law. Television has to be such that the entire family can watch it together. The other thing is it should not be entirely film-based. We can have a channel for agriculture and folk culture; a children’s channel which encompasses education and entertainment. These will combat the onslaught of cultural pollution. We have many talented people in India, so why should we watch only dubbed or translated children’s programmes?

As a parent do you pay attention to your daughter’s TV-viewing?

Of course. Although I think she’s not your average kid. She’s 14, is in a long day school (Vasant Valley), but because she’s in Class X, she can’t really watch much TV. The burden of studies is too much. But she usually likes to watch Discovery Channel. She loves cartoons too. But she often comes to me andsays, Ma, don’t do anything like banning MTV or Channel V.

Do you feel let down by the Opposition on the Prasar Bharati Bill?

Not exactly. After all, it was passed in the Lok Sabha. It wasn’t introduced in the Rajya Sabha only because of their jhagda-jhanjhat. I had got the Bill listed on July 21. But the merit of the Bill has been given the go-by. It has become an Opposition vs BJP issue. One thing I want to point out here is S. Jaipal Reddy’s stand. What morality does he have to question me on a possible ordinance when he had issued an ordinance after Parliament was summoned? What cheek!

How do you think the media environment will be affected if reports about a merger between Star TV and Zee TV are true?

We have always been categorical about a 20 per cent cap on foreign equity. We will definitely amend the Broadcasting Bill provision for 49 per cent foreign investment. So whatever is done has to be done keeping that in mind.

Your office in the past has been the object of intenselobbying. How do you handle this?

I don’t know about the past but in these four months I have not given a single appointment through liaising agents. The heads of organisations have to come to me directly and I listen to them with an open mind.