Ficci Frames: Panelists rap Kejriwal for comment on media

Speakers bat for co-existence of media and political parties

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s statement that the media has been bought was strongly condemned by panelists participating at the concluding session of the Ficci Frames in Mumbai on Friday. They termed Kejriwal’s outburst at the fund raising dinner in Nagpur on Thursday evening as most unfair. However, the speakers were unanimous that media and political parties will have to co-exist that too when the campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections is gathering a momentum.

AAP leader and former TV anchor Shazia Ilmi down played the controversy especially when almost all political parties had hit out against Kejriwal.

Ilmi said that it wouldn’t be proper to paint everyone with the same brush. However, she alleged that there were two or three channels which are either targeting AAP or just imposing black out on its events. In the same breath, Ilmi observed that electronic media’s coverage on AAP was by compulsion and not because of charity.

She admitted that media had been quite instrumental in AAP’s creation and its presence.

Union minister of state for information and communications Milind Deora attacked Kejriwal for his reported warning that if his party was voted to power media persons would be sent to jail. Deora advised Kejriwal not to be intolerant.

Deora also raised the contentious issue of paid news saying that some of the print and media personnel have been knocking his doors for the coverage in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.

All India Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien made a strong case of co-existence of media and political parties. He emphasized the need to increase engagement by the political parties with people through every form of media.

After Kejriwal, the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi dominated the session. Maharashtra BJP unit chief Devendra Fadanvis threw numbers to prove that party’s 'Chai Pe Charcha' with NaMo "has been a great hit even though Modi has not given a single interview to any channel".

O’Brien gave full marks for BJP for choosing the best PR tool in the form of Chai Pe Charcha. He went on to say that it was gift given by the Congress MP Mani Shankar Iyer to BJP. The obvious reference was to Iyer’s remarks at the AICC meeting held in January that’’ Modi will never become the Prime Minister of the country. But if he wants to distribute tea here, we will find a place for him."

At the same time O’Brien ridiculed Rahul Gandhi’s maiden interview to English channel as the kindergarten (KG) interview. However, Deora said at least Rahul has given an interview but Modi is simply avoiding it. He added that Congress had never been any hostile relationship with media.

Deora took the opportunity to clarify that the Centre had no plans to impose censorship on social media nor on its contents.