Spokesperson: Smt. SupriyaShrinate:She said that a Government Communication report has revealed some extremelydisturbing facts. Even during the time of Corona, the Prime Minister was actually preparing to stab us in the back by compromising the freedom of speech and expression in the country by controlling free press and for doing so, it looks like some from the press/media became party to this, I sympathize with them. But I think, it is important that they come out and make their positions clear, because this does raise questions on the commitment to being a part of media. And media is just not another job, media is for a reason called the fourth pillar of our democracy. However, I am going back to the report, it categorically mentions that there has to be a strategy to neutralize people, who are writing against the Government. It very categorically also seems to suggest that some of the suggestions made in this report have actually been turned into law. The IT rules 2021 announced a few days back by Ravi Shankar Prasad Ji and Prakash Javadekar Ji, seem to have taken a lot of these suggestions on board. So, this does raise question. Will Parliament make laws? Or will laws be made by Ministers sitting in the drawing rooms, with consultations and under guidance of pliant media persons ever willing to serve the Modi Government? Just to quote a few of the Minister’s there; Smriti Irani Ji talks about “Tracking 50 negative influencers by the electronic media monitoring committee of the Ministry of I&B”, I don’tknow if this is the breach of constitutional privileges, but it certainly seems to be a very-very blatant naked attempt to attack free press and free voices. Shri Swapan Dasgupta talks about “giving that little bit extra to journalists in a calibrated manner.” I do not know, if he is trying to compromise journalist. I don’t know if he is talking about freebies. He needs to make his position clear what is that little bit extra? Shri Surya Prakash, now head of Prasar Bharati says that “the Government has enormous power to utilize its position and controlling them.” This is blatant, absolute blatant exercise of power. There are many others, who talk about the ‘Pokhran Effect’. Is this a figment of the Government’s imagination that keeps coming from time-to-time? Ravi Shankar Prasad Ji, of course, goes on to say that “There needs to be a pool of spin doctors, who must give a spin to every Government story.” He is talking about academicians, VCs, retired IFS officers. My simple question to most of what has been revealed now is, if you are making policies, and if you are making laws with commitment, with fairness and with justice, why do you need this propaganda machinery, why is there a need to clamp down on those, who question you? I personally feel nobody is being spared, academicians, opinion makers, bureaucrats.You stand with the farmers, no matter who you are, the IB, the Income Tax, the ED, the CBI, the NCB will all land at your doorstep. I think the BJP should stop the Farce and facade of independent agencies, just merge all these agencies within your organization, because that’s what you are doing. And in the end, I would only say, if you were making policies and if you were making laws, and if you were thinking about all Indians at large, you would not need the spin. No matter how much you curb free speech, this country will not let you do that. Thursday, 4 March, 2021