UP blacks out TV channels for criticizing Akhilesh govt

Got Orders From ‘Higher-Ups’: Cable Operator

Lucknow: Within days of UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s open attack on the media for its “negative coverage of Saifai Mahotsav”, two news channels – Times Now and India News – were unplugged by cable operators, some of who confessed to acting on informal government orders.

There was no official word on what led to the blacking out of the channels since Saturday. However, president of the Cable Service Consumer Protection Committee Ambika Prasad Ojha said: “The telecast of Times Now and India News has been stopped because the CM got offended by their negative coverage of Saifai Mahotsav.”

While Times Now was unavailable in Lucknow, Bareilly, Faizabad, Etawah, Allahabad, Gorakhpur and all of UP NCR, both national and regional channels of India News are off air since Friday evening. A cable operator, requesting anonymity, told TOI that the channels were blocked following phone calls from “higherups”. Similar phone calls went to operators in other UP cities as well, he said. The channels, however, are available on DTH platforms, over which the state government doesn’t have any special influence.

Will take tough action: Tewari

I&B minister Manish Tewari said the ministry was considering a 50% cap on market share of multi-system operators in a bid to curb monopolistic practices. This comes in the wake of a blackout of Times Now and India News by cable operators in Uttar Pradesh, who are controlled by MSOs. The ministry is likely to finalize its stand by the end of the week. P 11 

TIMES VIEW

This is clearly an attempt at muzzling the media because the Akhilesh Yadav government isn’t pleased with the coverage. Such state-sponsored intimidation has no place in a democracy; it is unacceptable and must be resisted. The government must immediately withdraw its verbal instructions to cable operators to black out these channels. Further, it should be made to pay damages to the affected cable operators and TV channels for having illegally disrupted their businesses. Ban on Times Now uncalled for: Tewari

Opposition leaders and the I&B minister united to condemn the blacking out of Times Now and India News by cable operators in UP on Monday. “The ban is reprehensible and uncalled for. We will take action if the channel complains to us. The complaint will be considered on merit, and if any illegality is found, we will take strict action against the erring MSOs (multi-systems operators),” said I&B minister Manish Tewari.

The UP government has been under severe attack from the media for holding a grand – and expensive – carnival at Saifai, the home town of the Mulayam Singh Yadav clan, at a time when thousands of riot-affected poor people have been left to fend for themselves in the bitter cold in Muzaffarnagar. This juxtaposition, said Ojha, had made the Akhilesh Yadav government furious.

Apart from highlighting the UP regime’s insensitivity, Times Now has also been running an investigative story on UP legislators, most of them of the Samajwadi Party, on a multi-nation junket on tax-payer expense.

Last week, Akhilesh had slammed the media for “negative coverage” of Saifai Mahotsav saying, “The media should apologise to me, to Netaji (Mulayam Singh, his father) for their reports on Safai… Channels are questioning artistes who performed. I am the CM, ask me. Why question them?” he had said, going to the extent of calling the media “anti-Urdu” and opponents of “Lucknow’s tezheeb” for criticizing actors who were “promoting Awadhi culture through their films”.

Arnab Goswami, editor of Times Now, said, “I have received reports that Times Now has gone off the air across several parts of UP, including Lucknow and Ghaziabad. The cable operators have not given any specific reason for the blackout. We have also asked the Akhilesh Yadav government to investigate the reason behind the sudden and unexpected blackout.”

“Times Now is an independent and bold channel. It has been showing SP government’s MLAs’ junket and the Saifai Mahotsav. This blackout is a direct attack on democracy. Akhilesh is saying, ‘it’s my way or the highway’,” said BSP general secretary Satish Misra. “The government seems unaware that it can’t silence independent voices like Times Now and any such move has to be condemned by all,” Misra added.

Senior UP Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, “This is a clear case of government interference. It’s an undemocratic act by a party that calls itself Samajwadi. Times Now is a prestigious channel and this move is a blot on the government. They must reverse the decision immediately.” “Cable operators are not broadcasting both our channels in 12 TRP centres of UP,” said an India News source. Opposition parties have slammed the SP government for punishing the media for exposing its failures.

Most cable operators TOI spoke to denied that there was any government order for blocking these channels. But when they were asked for the reason for the sudden disappearance of only two channels when hundred others were being relayed, they couldn’t give any satisfactory answer.

When asked about the reason for the blackout, state entertainment tax minister Pawan Pandey refused to talk on the issue, feigning ignorance about the entire matter itself.

BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said the right of citizens to information cannot be denied. It (the blackout) is probably because Times Now stood up to the outrageous developments in UP,” she said.