The Hindu : National : Do not alter FDI limit in print media, says Left

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 22, 2005

National

National

Do not alter FDI limit in print media, says Left

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 21. The Left parties today opposed any move to alter the present foreign direct investment limit or the syndication guidelines in the print media.

The Left parties also stressed that the Government implement the promise made in the National Common Minimum Programme of providing one-third reservation for women in Legislatures and Parliament.

The Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Prakash Karat, told the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, that his party was opposed to FDI in the print media. He said that newspapers should not be equated with other industries since news dailies played a role in politics and democracy and allowing foreign investment in this sector was inadvisable.

Mr. Karat said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance Government had altered the rules and the CPI (M) was totally opposed to any further relaxation in the FDI limit that currently stood at 26 per cent. Also, the Centre should not ``tinker'' with the existing syndication guidelines in the print media.

Mr. Patil, who heads the Group of Ministers which is looking into the issue, also held a separate meeting with Debabrata Biswas, general secretary of the All-India Forward Bloc.

Mr. Biswas also opposed the reported move to raise the FDI cap in print media.

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