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Speaker urged to reconsider order

By Our Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR NOV. 11. Mediapersons, politicians and common people in Orissa today condemned the order of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker to imprison six journalists of The Hindu and the Tamil daily Murasoli for alleged breach of privilege.

In a memorandum, several citizens of Cuttack urged the Speaker to reconsider it. "Your review will no doubt enhance your image and earn tremendous goodwill all over the country.''

The signatories include Mustafiz Ahmed and Rajendra Prasad Singh, both former MLAs, Chittaranjan Mohanty, general secretary of the Orissa unit of the Janata Dal(U), and Basudev Samal, vice-president of the Orissa unit of the All-India Trade Union Congress. "The relationship between people's representatives and the media must be complementary and not contradictory,'' they said. The memorandum was submitted to the Orissa Assembly Speaker, Sarat Kumar Kar.

In a statement, the secretary of the Orissa State committee of the CPI(M), Janardan Pati, termed the Speaker's order "undemocratic''and demanded its withdrawal.

Journalists from different media organisations staged a demonstration at Dhenkanal in protest against the order. Wearing black badges, they marched to the Collectorate and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President through the Additional District Magistrate.

They also underlined the need for cooperation and mutual understanding among the four pillars of democracy, and urged the President to intervene.

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