From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Press Club of India has appealed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to lift restrictions on the media that prevent journalists from reporting the parliamentary proceedings.
A letter signed by Club President Umakant Lakhera and Secretary General Vinay Kumar has drawn the Lok Sabha Speaker’s attention to the continuous and unrelenting restrictions imposed on the entry of journalists covering Parliamentary proceedings over the last several sessions that were put in place in the wake of Covid 19.
“While some of our colleagues have been granted access to parliament, a large number of journalists covering Parliament proceedings for the last several decades are still being denied the opportunity to cover Parliament proceedings despite having permanent press gallery passes,” says the letter.
“With the situation gradually easing over the several sessions we have repeatedly raised the issue on various occasions and have also drawn your attention towards these superfluous restrictions having no logical basis or rationale,” stresses the letter.
The letter goes on to say that since the restriction on entry of the journalists in Parliament does not have a tangible reason or argument, it appears that these curbs are part of a wider agenda aimed at controlling the media and restricting freedom of press in order to impede free flow of independent news stories and information to the people of the largest democracy of the world.
Demanding that the dysfunctional Lok Sabha Press Advisory Committee be reconstituted immediately, the Press Club President said that the media is constantly being excused under the garb of COVID 19 guidelines even though no such restrictions exist in the rest of the country or in Delhi either in public places or in community gatherings etc.
The letter has expressed deep concern over restrictions which severely impedes dissemination of vital information to the public and inhibits their right to know which directly impacts the freedom of press as enshrined in Article 19 of the Constitution.
While numerous opposition leaders have consistently demanded the immediate withdrawal of such restrictions on media persons in Central Hall and Parliament press gallery, it is deeply concerning that despite repeated requests from the Press Club of India and other distinguished journalist bodies, including the Editor’s Guild of India, no significant steps have been taken to rectify this anti-journalist stance.
There is also no clarity on the access of the media in the inauguration of the new Parliament House on Sunday and no explanation why only a selected few would be allowed entry.
