BJP floor leader in Assembly Dr K Laxman on Monday requested Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javedkar to take immediate action to restore the broadcast of the TV9 and ABN Andhra Jyothi Telugu news channels.
Addressing a press conference, Dr Laxman said that the broadcast of the two Telugu news channels had been stopped in Telangana for the last two weeks by the MSOs (Multiple System Operators, or cable operators).
"There can be no justifiable reasons for anyone to stall the broadcast or block signals of any media channel," he said.
In his letter to Prakash Javedkar, the BJP floor leader said, "As the leader of the party in the Assembly, I had in the strongest words condemned a satirical program on the Telangana legislators by TV9 which went overboard, and have admonished them publicly. However, after their unconditional written apology to the members through a letter to the Honorable Speaker of the House, the matter should have been put to rest," he said.
Dr Laxman objected to the attitude of the State government which stated that it had nothing to do with the MSOs' actions. "Till date, no action has been taken against them for illegally blocking the channels for reasons beyond the constitutional and the legal frameworks," he said.
Dr Laxman asked Javedkar to initiate action at the earliest to ensure restoration of the broadcast of the two Telugu channels across the State. (INN)