The BJP responded on Thursday to the INDIA bloc’s decision to boycott the shows of 14 television anchors from various channels, calling it a “emergency” and a “bullying” technique. The National Broadcasters & Digital Association, among other media organizations, denounced the action and labeled it a “attack on democracy.”
The newly created opposition front announced the names of 14 journalists earlier in the day and stated that they would not be sending representatives to their broadcasts.
The national head of the BJP, JP Nadda, claimed that these parties were still operating in the opposition’s “emergency mindset era,” and that this effort involved “making ‘lists’ in true Nazi style.”
Union minister Anurag Thakur said the step taken against the media by the INDIA bloc is “emergency 2.0″. “The steps that the INDI alliance have taken against the media is emergency 2.0… This shows that they do not believe in democracy…” he said.
Thakur said one emergency was declared by Indira, and the other has been declared by the ‘Ghamandiya’ alliance. “They do not trust democracy, you can see the state of affairs in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Those who used to talk about media autonomy have now taken such a drastic step to repress it,” he added.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, however, said the 14 journalists should wear this as a “badge of honour” as they had “refused to bend when the opposition expected them to crawl”.
Later, the BJP released an official statement denouncing INDIA’s decision to boycott, claiming it was the result of its “oppressive and dictatorial thinking.” “The arrogant alliance’s decision by the INDI Alliance parties to intimidate and boycott journalists is strongly condemned. This demonstrates their authoritarian and repressive mindset. The alliance’s terrible mentality is sharply condemned by the BJP, according to Anil Baluni, the party’s national media coordinator.
In a virtual meeting this afternoon, the media committee of the INDIA bloc decided to boycott. The opposition said that it was making this choice reluctantly and that none of these anchors were its enemies. But, he asserted, their love for the nation comes first.
“We have made this decision with a heavy heart. We are not opposed to any of these anchors. We don’t hate any of these anchors. But, we love our country more. We love our Bharat,” said Congress leader Pawan Khera on INDIA’s decision.
The judgment was met with outrage and worry from the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA), who claimed it sets a perilous precedent. The association claimed that the boycott violates the principles of democracy.
“It betokens intolerance and imperils press freedom. The opposition alliance claims to be the champion of pluralism and a free press, but its decision betrays callous disregard for democracy’s most fundamental tenet – the inalienable right to openly express ideas and opinions.
“The boycott of certain journalists/anchors takes the nation back to the Emergency era, when the press was gagged, and independent opinions and voices were crushed,” the NBDA said, urging the opposition alliance to withdraw its decision that amounts to browbeating journalists and stifling freedom of speech and expression.
While this was going on, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) referred to the boycott as an assault on democracy. It vehemently disagreed with and denounced the INDIA bloc’s boycott of specific journalists, claiming that the opposition parties had politicized the media.
Ras Bihari, head of the NUJ, a group affiliated with the International Federation of Journalists, stated in a statement that this opposition party move is a “black chapter” in the history of press suppression in democratic India. He declared, “This is totally wrong and unacceptable,” adding that it illustrates the lack of democratic norms in these parties.
