Rajya Sabha gave its seal of approval to a Bill which will replace an ordinance that saw the exit of eminent journalist M V Kamath as Chairman of the Prasar Bharati.
NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha on Tuesday gave its seal of approval to a Bill which will replace an ordinance that saw the exit of eminent journalist M V Kamath as Chairman of the Prasar Bharati.
The Bill came in for sharp criticism from Opposition BJP which said the sole aim of the legislation was to "dislodge" NDA-appointed Kamath from office, a charge strongly denied by Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi.
Dasmunsi asserted that the Government has nothing against any individual and it has immense respect for Kamath, but it was time to bring in a younger work force as part of attempts to make Prasar Bharati dynamic and more progressive.
"It is not to let done anyone, it is not to insult anyone," he said and noted that Kamath will continue to advise the public broadcaster. He also referred to Kamath's health which restricts him from active work.
To put Opposition on the backfoot, he even referred to the BJP's decision to project senior leader L K Advani as its Prime Ministerial candidate to succeed the ailing A B Vajpayee.
The Bill restricts the term of the Chairperson of the Prasar Bharati board to three years from the date of which he enters upon his office or until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. The chairman shall also be a part-time member.
The Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Amendment Bill, 2008 also makes provision for an executive member who shall be a whole-time member and shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon office.
Defending the Bill, Dasmunsi said everywhere in the world 65 is considered to be the upper age limit for doing competent work and asserted that the Government has never interfered in the affairs of Prasar Bharati.
"It is time for him to take rest. He will continue to advise Prasar Bharati," he said referring to Kamath. The Bill was passed in Lok Sabha yesterday.
The Minister said the process to formulate a content and programme code for electronic channels is "almost completed" but added there will be no coercion as it was not the UPA government's policy.
He also rejected BJP member Vijay Kumar Rupani's charges that Doordarshan was biased in its coverage. Rupani claimed that the DD has stopped showing live coverage of Janmashtami celebrations in Gujarat.
Earlier taking part in the debate, BJP members alleged that the Bill was introduced with an intention to dislodge Kamat from office.
"The amendment has some wrong intentions attached. It is aimed at removing Kamat, a respectable journalist from the post of the Chairman," Kalraj Mishra said drawing parallel with the AIIMS Bill which he said was brought to remove its Director P Venugopal.
Tapan Sen of the CPI(M) was of the view that instead of deliberating on the age and tenure of the Chairman and CEO of Prasar Bharati, the government should look into the "problem of manpower" faced by the public broadcaster.
"The UPA should have taken up the issue in a more comprehensive way with focus on the problems of manpower," he said. He also opposed any move to outsource programming in Doordarshan and All India Radio.
R Shunmugasundaram of the DMK opposed upper age limit for Prasar Bharti Chairman while Independent member Tarlochan Singh wanted more programmes based on the teachings of Guru Gobind Singh.
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