The Bharatiya Janata Party is getting increasingly displeased with the media. The Rajnath Singh-led Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a gag order, restricting journalists’ access to senior officials, on Thursday, a day after BJP president Amit Shah blamed “a section of media” for much of the government’s current troubles.
The Home Ministry’s circular, issued to regulate the “interaction with and briefing of the media”, orders that no official other than the spokesperson, designated as Additional Director General (Media), can speak with journalists.
“The information flow to media persons will be arranged in Media Room No. 9, North Block,” says the circular. “Media persons will be asked by ADG (Media) that they do not have briefing/meeting with officers other than in the Media Room.”
The circular dated July 23 has been issued by Joint Secretary Satpal Chouhan on behalf of the Union Home Secretary and is marked for “strict compliance” by all “officers/sections/desks” of the ministry. “ADG (Media) will be the single point for dissemination of all publicity material to the media including clarifications sought by the media,” it says.
Until now, media personnel accredited by the Press Information Bureau had unhindered access to senior officials of the Home Ministry, whose mandate covers a range of critical issues, including internal security, inter-state relationship, disaster management, border management and administration of paramilitary forces. This access is likely to be obstructed by the Thursday circular.
The gag order comes just a day after Amit Shah hit out at the “desperate opposition” and “a section of media” for “spreading misinformation” to “malign the government”. The BJP president was addressing the party parliamentary party meet when he expressed his unhappiness.
According to a BJP MP present at the meeting, Shah told the party's parliamentarians that a section of media wants to malign the Narendra Modi government. He asked them not to get perturbed by the negative coverage of the government’s achievements.
“In the last one year, the government has launched, on average, one scheme every 15 days,” Shah is said to have told the parliamentarians. “But a section of media is unable to recognise the government’s achievements. We should not be perturbed by this. We will make people aware of the government’s achievements in our own way.”
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The Home Ministry’s circular, issued to regulate the “interaction with and briefing of the media”, orders that no official other than the spokesperson, designated as Additional Director General (Media), can speak with journalists.
“The information flow to media persons will be arranged in Media Room No. 9, North Block,” says the circular. “Media persons will be asked by ADG (Media) that they do not have briefing/meeting with officers other than in the Media Room.”
The circular dated July 23 has been issued by Joint Secretary Satpal Chouhan on behalf of the Union Home Secretary and is marked for “strict compliance” by all “officers/sections/desks” of the ministry. “ADG (Media) will be the single point for dissemination of all publicity material to the media including clarifications sought by the media,” it says.
Until now, media personnel accredited by the Press Information Bureau had unhindered access to senior officials of the Home Ministry, whose mandate covers a range of critical issues, including internal security, inter-state relationship, disaster management, border management and administration of paramilitary forces. This access is likely to be obstructed by the Thursday circular.
The gag order comes just a day after Amit Shah hit out at the “desperate opposition” and “a section of media” for “spreading misinformation” to “malign the government”. The BJP president was addressing the party parliamentary party meet when he expressed his unhappiness.
According to a BJP MP present at the meeting, Shah told the party's parliamentarians that a section of media wants to malign the Narendra Modi government. He asked them not to get perturbed by the negative coverage of the government’s achievements.
“In the last one year, the government has launched, on average, one scheme every 15 days,” Shah is said to have told the parliamentarians. “But a section of media is unable to recognise the government’s achievements. We should not be perturbed by this. We will make people aware of the government’s achievements in our own way.”