Directives to media to seek interactions with Ministers at designated place at Vidhana Soudha draws flak from Opposition

The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) has issued a directive to the Information and Publicity Department instructing the media to get authoritative video statements lone astatine a designated determination connected the Vidhana Soudha premises, citing information concerns.

Direction not to follow

According to the directive, media unit person been asked not to travel the Chief Minister oregon different Ministers erstwhile they participate the Vidhana Soudha to grounds video statements. Instead, each specified interactions indispensable instrumentality spot astatine the specified country adjacent the occidental gross of the Vidhana Soudha. The DPAR stated that this measurement is being implemented successful the involvement of security.

The determination has drawn crisp disapproval from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has termed the determination an effort to curb media state nether the guise of security.

Leader of the Opposition successful the Assembly R. Ashok alleged that the determination was driven by fearfulness that caller media reports exposing alleged theft of golden and currency and amerciable transactions successful the bureau of Minister Byrathi Suresh would person further attention.

After hatred code Bill

State BJP president B.S. Vijayendra besides condemned the directive, claiming that aft the government’s “misadventure” successful attempting to instrumentality the hatred code Bill, it was present seeking to restrict media state wrong the Vidhana Soudha. He described the circular arsenic highly condemnable and an effort to enforce curbs connected the media successful the sanction of security.

“The Siddaramaiah-led authorities has thing to fell and idiosyncratic to shield. That’s the crushed wherefore the authorities has banned the introduction of physics media into the Vidhana Soudha,” helium said.

JD(S) younker helping president Nikhil Kumaraswamy questioned the law ground for imposing specified restrictions connected the media wrong the Vidhana Soudha. He called connected Congress person Rahul Gandhi to guarantee that the Karnataka authorities upholds law values and criticised the circular arsenic reminiscent of the Emergency era.

The Opposition leaders are demanding that the authorities reconsider its decision.