The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday alleged that Doordarshan and the All India Radio refused to broadcast Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar’s Independence Day speech unless he reworked it, PTI reported. Sarkar’s speech was scheduled to be aired at 6.30 am on Tuesday.

However, the public broadcasters reportedly did not air it after the CPI(M) refused to make changes to the speech. “Doordarshan refuses to broadcast Tripura CM Manik Sarkar’s speech,” CPM said on Twitter. “Is this the cooperative federalism that PM Modi talks about? Shame!”

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said Doordarshan was “not the private property of the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh”.

“Its refusal to broadcast Tripura CM’s speech is undemocratic and illegal,” he said on Twitter. “PM can pay homilies to cooperative federalism while instructing his cronies to black out voices of the Opposition, including an elected chief minister.”

Yechury said the CPI(M) will fight against this. “If this isn’t authoritarianism and undeclared Emergency, what is?” he said. “This will be fought back by the CPM, people of Tripura and all our citizens.”