The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Chief Minister raps newspapers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Chief Minister raps newspapers

Special Correspondent

Advises dailies to be objective in reporting

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Monday criticised newspapers for giving "banner headlines" to "small issues" and advised them to be objective while pointing out mistakes.

Replying to the debate in the Assembly on floods and relief operations, he, however, said, "We have biggest regard for freedom of press".

Unfortunately, the freedom of press had become the freedom of management.

Inside pages

He faulted a Telugu daily for publishing in the inside pages news pertaining to the decision taken at a review meeting to provide bunds along the Godavari, Nagavali and Vamsadhara.

Dr. Reddy said that he had directed officials to call tenders by September-end, start the work within a month and finish it by June 2007.

Several Telugu Desam members protested when Dr. Reddy recalled the conversation he had with the Chief Editor of the daily.

Broadsides

Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said the Chief Minister's frequent broadsides on media, reminded him of "the Emergency days".

"It is not a controlled democracy or dictatorship to dictate to the media what it should write and what it should avoid."

He said the Opposition had been balanced, did not get provoked and confined itself to seeking clarifications from the Government on flood situation.

But the Government failed to respond and did not concede a single demand barring the one on ex gratia.

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