NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India on Wednesday deplored the United News of India (UNI) Board of Directors' approval of the "dubious takeover" of the organisation by the Zee Group at the annual general body meeting on Tuesday, and asked the Government to investigate the "shady deal" and restore the original status of the news organisation.

While pointing out that the Government had made a request to the Board to postpone it's meeting by a month, the party said the meeting took place only to approve the "takeover." Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra and three of his associates were inducted into the Board, "only to capture the controlling share-holding."

Seminal institution

In a statement, the party's Central Secretariat said UNI was not merely a news agency. It was a seminal institution for disseminating information in an objective and impartial manner throughout the country in three languages.

"With a business house likely to take control now, the agency's neutrality would be lost forever and would be the beginning of the end of free flow of information," it said.

The statement said the move would have a negative impact on the democratic traditions of the country. Multinational corporations have slowly started "swallowing" the Indian media, particularly news agencies and newspapers, risking the freedom of the press, democracy and the security of the country.

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