Kolkata: Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her comments on the one-day ban on a TV news channel, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh accused her of "creating an Emergency-like situation" in the state where the "opposition voices are brutally stifled".
He, however, said his party stood for the freedom of press, but the news channels needed to act in a "responsible manner" at times of crisis.
"The chief minister is talking about an Emergency-like situation. But, my question is, has the law and order situation failed in the country? It has completely failed in Bengal. Communal riots are taking place. In Bengal, there is an undeclared Emergency where the opposition voices are brutally stifled," Ghosh said.
His comments came in the backdrop of Banerjee's statement earlier in the day where she called the ban on NDTV India "shocking".
"The NDTV ban is shocking. If the government had issues with the Pathankot coverage, there are provisions available. But, a ban shows an Emergency-like attitude," she had said in a statement.
Reacting to the one-day ban on the news channel, Ghosh said, "I don't know what actually has happened. We are in favour of a free press. But, at times, the news channels do need to act in a responsible way as national interest is above everything else."
