Zee News owner Subhash Chandra has justified the one-day ban on NDTV India adding that the government ought to have imposed a life ban on the channel.
Chandra, who was elected to Rajya Sabha on BJP support, tweeted, “One day ban on NDTV is an injustice. This is an inadequate punishment. The channel should have been banned for life for playing with the security of the country. I also believe that if NDTV goes to court, they will face rebuke even there.”
He said that the NDTV and other channels were silent when there was a talk of banning Zee News during the UPA government.
He said, “When there was a talk of banning Zee during the UPA regime, then NDTV and other so-called intellectuals had adopted a silence. Editors Guild too had kept quiet. But today, some people are terming it an Emergency like situation. Does the country’s security have no importance?”
Chandra concluded by saying that there ‘can’t be two opinions’ on national security.
NDTV पर 1 दिवसीय प्रतिबन्ध नाइंसाफी है, यह सजा बहुत कम है! देश की सुरक्षा से खिलवाड़ के लिए उन पर आजीवन प्रतिबन्ध लगाना चाहिए था (1/5)
— Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
मेरा तो यह भी विश्वास है की अगर NDTV न्यायालय में जाए तो उसे वहां से भी फटकार ही मिलेगी (2/5)
— Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
UPA काल में Zee पर प्रतिबन्ध की बात चली थी तब NDTV, बाकि तथाकथित बुद्धिजीवीयों ने मौन धारण करा था, Editors Guild भी चुप्पी साधे हुआ था (3/5)
— Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
पर आज गलत को गलत कहने पर, कुछ लोग आपातकाल कह रहे है! क्या देश की सुरक्षा का कोई भी महत्त्व नहीं? (4/5)
— Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
देश की सुरक्षा में दो मत नहीं हो सकते। सरकार द्वारा NDTV इंडिया पर एक दिवसीय प्रतिबन्ध को मैं बिलकुल सही मानता हूँ! (5/5)
— Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) November 6, 2016
Not so long ago, Chandra had made a desperate plea on a live TV clarifying that his channel had no biases in favour of the BJP. His comments were necessitated in the face of growing criticism for the channel’s biased coverage in favour of the BJP.
The editor of Zee News, Sudhir Chaudhary, was caught on tape allegedly asking for Rs 100 crore extortion from industrialist Naveen Jindal during UPA regime. Chaudhary with his former colleague Samir Ahluwalia was sent to Tihar jail briefly. Both are currently out on bail, while Ahluwalia has since left the channel.
As CEO of Live India TV, Chaudhary was responsible for commissioning a ‘sting’ about a Delhi school teacher, Uma Khurana, accusing her of running a prostitution racket and inducting school kids into it.
This led to her being publicly lynched by the parents, her arrest and complete humiliation. It was later found that the sting was done to settle scores and the accusations were false.
The Centre’s Modi government had recently imposed a one-day ban on NDTV India channel for its coverage on Pathankot attack. The decision has drawn widespread condemnation from members of civil society and media fraternity.
Janta Ka Reporter has decided to go offline for an hour on 9 November, when NDTV India is expected to remain off-air.