The Hindu : National : Proposed sale of UNI: CPI (M) seeks Manmohan's intervention

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Proposed sale of UNI: CPI (M) seeks Manmohan's intervention

Special Correspondent

Government should act as regulatory agency, demands Prakash Karat

NEW DELHI: The Communist of India (Marxist) on Friday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in finding an "acceptable solution" to the situation facing the United News of India (UNI) in the wake of the decision of the Board of Directors to sell a major stake in the news agency to a media group.

In a letter to Dr. Singh, CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat said: "Since there is no independent regulatory agency for overseeing this area, the Government itself should assume this power and intervene and come out with an acceptable solution."

No transparency

Mr. Karat described as disturbing the fact that there was no transparency on the specific nature and implications of the transfer. He also drew attention to the silence on issues regarding retrenchment and voluntary retirement scheme of the employees. Referring to UNI's modest beginning in 1961, he took note of the fact that the agency showed a good performance till as recently as 1998, after which its financial performance dipped due to mismanagement.

Such being the case, Mr. Karat said: "Without examining the factors leading to the present financial condition of the agency, handing it over to a private media group is in a way a complete contravention of the spirit and objective with which the agency was founded in 1961."

Separately, Mr. Karat and Communist Party of India general secretary A. B. Bardhan raised the matter with Dr. Singh when they met him on Friday to discuss his recent overseas visit. CPI National Secretary D. Raja and CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury were also present.

UNI reports:

Dr. Singh on Friday conveyed his concern over issue and assured the Left leaders that he would take up the issue with Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Dasmunsi.

The Left leaders said Dr. Singh was concerned over the issue as the news agency was a major source of news for small and medium newspapers in several regional languages and Urdu.

Financial assistance

"The character of the organisation has to be maintained at all costs. The Government must provide financial assistance to the agency," said Mr. Bardhan.

Mr. Yechury said the Left leaders apprised Dr. Singh of the 45-year history of UNI and the objective of ending monopoly in news dissemination through news agencies.

The former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had also sent a letter to Dr. Singh seeking his personal intervention to abort the sale.

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