NEW DELHI, India, Nov. 15, Reuter: The government, in a new move against its bitterest critic in the Indian media, has told India’s largest English language newspaper it is taking over its New Delhi offices.

Arun Shourie, outspoken Editor of the hard-hitting Indian Express, immediately denounced the action as the latest step in a government’s campaign to silence his newspaper’s crusade as Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The ministry of Urban Development on Saturday night told the Express it was cancelling its Jongterm lease on a building housing its New Delhi offices and printing presses.

Production of the newspaper’s 140,000 circulation Delhi edition at the building has been halted by a strike since October 11.

The Ministry charged the Express with breaches of contract, including subletting parts of the building and construction of an additional building on the property rented from the government since 1958.

Asked to comment, Shourie said: “This continues a pattern of the government trying to silence the newspaper since the middle of March.

“They are determined to silence us because of the work we have been doing, but we are determined not to be silenced”

The Indian Express publishes in Delhi and 10 other cities and has a 750,000 national circulation.

The Indian Express publishes in Delhi and 10 other cities and has a 750,000 national circulation

It opened an anti-Gandhi campaign last spring by publishing a sensational letter to the Prime Minister from India’s then President Zail Singh, accusing him of damaging relations with the Presidency and lying to Parliament.

It has since repeatedly denounced Gandhi’s leadership.

It has also campaigned against alleged corruption in government and among some of Gandhi’s close friends and political associates, fuelling a minor revolt against his leadership in the Cabinet and the ruling Congress (I) Party in August. The Indian Express has been particularly active in pursuing charges of kickbacks and government corruption in a 13 billion dollar contract signed last year for Bofors Howitzers from Sweden.

Shourie accused the government in September of attacking press freedom after tax agent’s raided Indian Express offices across the nation seeking evidence of foreign exchange violations in the importation of equipment.

He said on Sunday that in the last 45 days the government had started 10 cases against the newspaper in connection with foreign exchange regulations and machinery imports.

“They have also sent us 25 “show cause” notices for additional prosecution”. Shourie said; Under Indian law the prosecution and demand that a suspect show because why he should not be prosecuted.

In addition, customs had. for two months held up import of Facsimile equipment and. offset machinery worth 3.5 million U.S. dollars and the State Bank of India ‘was threatening to reduce the newspaper’s credit limit, Shourie said.

He said the month-long New Delhi strike, over pay, was only effective because police were refusing to protect the majority of workers who wanted to go to work.

“Six hundred workers out of 670 are reporting to work every day but they can’t go in because the police are refusing to guarantee their safety against pickets, Shourie said.

 

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 20, 1987