NEW DELHI: Radio and Television are not the personal properties of the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi opposition leaders charged in the Rajya Sabha.

They said the move of the director of Hyderabad Doordarshan to delete some portions from the Independence Day eve message of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Mr. N.T. Rama Rao was “objectionable and partisan” in a democratic set up.

The matter was raised by Mr. P. Upendra, Telugu Desam who said this was not the first instance of a Chief Minister’s speech being censored. It has happened earlier with the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal chief ministers.

“Is India the Jagirdari of Rajiv Gandhi and is Doordarshan the personal property of the Government? Mr. Upendra asked. He added that the move to delete portions of Rama Rao’s speech was an insult to the Chief Minister and the people of the state.

The Deputy Chairman Mrs. Najma Heptualla said that nobody should say anything that would demoralize the jawans,

MS.Gurupadsawamy, Janata Dal said opposition leaders were subjected to attacks by Rajiv Gandhi day in and day out on Doordarsharan. He said radio and television were not the personal properties of Gandhi.

Gurupadaswamy said he took exception to the deletions in Rama Rao’s speech.

N.K. Salye Congress (I) said there were certain norms for speaking on television. He said the Government could not allow politicians to wash dirty linen on TV. The opposition retorted that Gandhi was doing it every day. Salve said Rao’s statement amounted to subversion of the Constitution” and could not be allowed.

The matter generated considerable heat in the Rajya Sabha with Congress (I) members objecting to the Chief Minister’s remarks in his speech and the opposition countering it by citing the example of Rajiv Gandhi. When Mrs. Jayanti Natrajan Congress (I) objected to the Jai Telugu Desam slogan of Mr. Rao, Mr. Upendra said Mr Rao had said it even at the Chief Minister’s conference. The Home Minister Mr. Buta Singh said the Constitution only recognized the state of Andhra Pradesh. Murasoli Maran DMK said the Constitution said “India that is Bharat” so one could say “Andhra Pradesh, that is Telugu Desam.”

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 1, 1989