Left seeks govt help in protecting UNI 'freedom'

Left parties have taken up the matter of Zee Telefilms Chairman Subhash Chandra's reported attempt to enter the board of directors of the United News of India (UNI) with the UPA government.

CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan is learnt to have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, seeking the government's intervention in preventing any "change in the neutral character" of the news agency.

"It will be against the interest of freedom and the democratic tradition of the country," the Left leader said.

Reacting to Chandra's reported remarks that he wanted to give a "global profile" to UNI, the Left leaders said the government should help the news agency face competition.

Saying that it was not difficult to make UNI a financially viable agency, they demanded that the government make an independent and realistic evaluation of its assets.

CPI National Secretary D Raja said there seemed to be "real estate interest" behind the intended privatisation of UNI, which has properties at prime locations across the country.

"We have doubts that conditions were deliberately created in the past three years to privatise the agency," he said.