T.N., Kerala should act as a double-barrelled gun in protecting India and leading it to a dawn: Stalin
The Hindu
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday said Tamil Nadu and Kerala should act as a double-barrelled gun in in protecting India from the present threats it faced from within and lead the country towards dawn.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday said Tamil Nadu and Kerala should act as a double-barrelled gun in in protecting India from the present threats it faced from within and lead the country towards dawn.
Releasing the book ‘The changing mediascape’ by veteran journalist BRP Bhaskar in Chennai at an event organised by the Kerala Media Academy (KMA) and Malayalee Associations of India, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said diversity, secularism and social justice were now under threat in the country. He said that [forces] were trying to crush India by crushing these ideals.
He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was acting against the Constitution despite stating when he came to power that the Constitution was his veda. Mr. Stalin appealed to the people to realise this and oppose such a trend.
He said while political parties like the DMK strongly fought the forces threatening India, the media should also contribute to safeguarding the country. He appealed to the media to not provide importance to those indulging in false propaganda and act in the same manner as the media functioned during the freedom struggle.
Lauding Mr. Bhaskar for his vast experience in journalism, Mr. Stalin said his articles and clarity of thought can be lessons for journalists of the current generation. He cited an incident mentioned by Mr. Bhaskar in the book, in which the author was asked by an Union government official in 1957 about his opinion on the DMK, which had performed well in elections that year. Mr. Bhaskar had not only told the official that the DMK may come to power in 10-15 years but also addressed the official’s concern regarding the party’s fissiparous tendencies by saying the DMK would relax its demand for a separate ‘Dravida Nadu’. Pointing out that both turned out to be true, Mr. Stalin said it was a testament to Mr. Bhaskar’s foresight.
Mr. Bhaskar said although the freedom of the press is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, it is inherent in it and the same had been upheld by the Supreme Court. Arguing that there will never be a time when there is no threat to freedom of press, he said those in the media world should fight everyday to uphold the freedom.
Kerala former Education and Cultural Affairs Minister M.A. Baby highlighted the need for media to contribute to informed discussions in the society on matters of importance instead of sensationalising or adding fuel to the fire on trivial or divisive issues.
No room for complacency till counting is completed, Chandrababu Naidu tells TDP-BJP-JSP contestants. The TDP-BJP-JSP alliance will register a comfortable victory in the general elections over the YSRCP, he says. Alleging that the YSRCP has conspired to create disturbances on the counting day, the TDP national president advises the chief counting agents and their teams to see to it that the officials adhere to norms related to counting.