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Attack on Modi govt, RSS prompted Prasar Bharati to blackout Tripura CM's I-Day speech

Manik Sarkar's speech sent to AIR and Doordarshan criticised the Centre stating that India's spirit of secularism is under attack

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Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar
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Prasar Bharati's call to black out Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar's Independence Day speech on Tuesday morning on both All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan, was allegedly prompted by the veiled attack he was going to launch against the Narendra Modi government and the Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS), sources told DNA.

A senior official from the I&B ministry, who was privy to the decision, said Sarkar's pre-recorded speech was otherwise not against any broadcast code. "His speech was critical of the government and it was not aired," the official said.

The AIR broadcast code, for instance, states that it does not permit criticism of friendly countries, attack on religions and communities, anything obscene or defamatory, incitement to violence or anything against maintenance of law and order, anything amounting to contempt of court, aspersions against the integrity of the President and Judiciary, and anything affecting the integrity of the nation and criticism by name of any person.

Thus the letter sent to the Tripura CM's office on Sarkar's speech, only mentions that the speech will not be aired with its existing content and calls for its "reshaping" in accordance with the "solemnity of the occasion and sentiments of the people of India at large" without giving any reason to do so.

Sarkar's speech sent to AIR and Doordarshan criticised the Centre stating that India's spirit of secularism is under attack.

"Conspiracies and attempts are underway to create an undesirable conspiracy and divisions in our society; to invade our national consciousness in the name of religion, caste and community, by inciting passions to convert India into a particular religious country and in the name of protecting the cow," his speech stated, without naming the BJP government.

In what appeared to be an attack on the RSS, Sarkar's speech stated, "The followers of those who were not associated with the Independence movement, rather sabotaged the freedom movement, were servile to the atrocious, plunderer and merciless British, aligned with the anti-national forces having decorated themselves today in different names and colours are striking at the root of unity and integrity of India," he said.

Terming the decision "an undeclared emergency", CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, said: "Doordarshan is not the private property of the BJP or the RSS. Its refusal to broadcast the Tripura CM's speech is undemocratic and illegal. The PM can pay homilies to cooperative federalism while instructing his cronies to black out voices of the Opposition, including an elected CM."

"Neither Modi's cronies at Prasar Bharati nor BJP or RSS, have any locus standi to decide on what an elected CM of a state speaks on August 15," he tweeted.

Doordarshan on Wednesday issued a denial over the issue, stating that it gave wide coverage to Sarkar's I-Day programme and telecast reports for 29 minutes 45 seconds, of which his speech coverage was of 12 minutes.

However, both DD and AIR refrained from issuing a response on Sarkar's pre-recorded Independence Day speech, which was censored by both.

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