Zee Media Bureau
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary on Tuesday defended the Uttar Pradesh government and said that the allegations of blacking out certain television news channels were incorrect and could have been caused by “some technical error.”
“The SP party and its leaders support democracy and have always respected media. There maybe some technical error,” Singh reportedly said.
Singh further said SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has always fought for freedom of expression.
The reaction from the UP government came after news reports alleged that two television news channels were unplugged by cable operators on informal orders.
Both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress condemned the act.
BJP leader Prakash Javadekar today said that his party condemns the alleged move.
“We condemn the ban imposed on several channels in UP. In a democracy, the freedom of the press is one of the most crucial factors, but Akhilesh`s government is not ready to take criticism. He should allow the press to have free play in the state,” Javadekar reportedly said.
Congress leaders was also not far behind in voicing their criticism.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari said that the concerned management should complain about the incident and relevant action will be taken.
“UPA in ten years has never used its power to stifle or muzzle the media,” Tiwari reportedly said.
The UP government faced severe criticism from the media for holding the “Saifai Mahotsav” when riot victims have been suffering in Muzaffarnagar.
