Union Minister V Muraleedharan on Monday said the Kerala Chief Minister should read the constitution before expressing his opinions on the ban of two Kerala-based TV channels and reiterated that the "Narendra Modi government stood for press freedom".
Muraleedharan's statement comes in the backdrop of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remark where he had said that an undeclared Emergency was prevailing in the country.
"The ban was not done for one side reporting but for violating the rules of cable transmission and broadcasting. There is nothing beyond that. If the Kerala Chief Minister feels that it is an undeclared emergency, it means that he has not understood the constitution. He should first read the constitution then express his opinion," Muraleedharan told ANI.
The Union Minister said the central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, believes in press freedom.
When asked about the ban being lifted later, the senior leader said, "The BJP government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has always stood for press freedom. We are the people who went to jail for upholding media rights during the emergency. We don't want to put a ban on media."
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The leader said if the laws are violated then action will be taken accordingly.
Asianet News and MediaOne were banned for 48 hours on Friday by the Information and Broadcasting (I & B) ministry for allegedly telecasting communally insensitive material during Delhi violence.
Earlier on Saturday, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that two Kerala-based channels, that were banned for 48 hours, have been restored.
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