Bengal Guv slams Mamata Banerjee government over state budget speech's media coverage
Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday criticized the state government for not allowing media to telecast his budget opening speech on Friday.
After Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra's budget announcements were telecasted live on various TV news channels on Monday afternoon, governor Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed his disappointment on Twitter, "The State Finance Minister Dr Mitra budget speech was live while the address of the Governor under Article 176, an important occasion, in sharp deviation to practice was not allowed live coverage and media was also kept away. Leave to judgment of the people of the State!"
The State Finance Minister Dr Mitra budget speech was live while the address of the Governor under Article 176, an important occasion, in sharp deviation to practice was not allowed live coverage and media was also kept away. Leave to judgment of the people of the State !
— Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) February 10, 2020
"This is of critical consequence for media. Is this acceptable expression of ideas ? Is it not intolerance of the constitutional head ? Is it not a kind of censorship ? I am sure the media and public would not be just silent spectators," Dhankhar tweeted.
This is of critical consequence for media. Is this acceptable expression of ideas ? Is it not intolerance of the constitutional head ? Is it not a kind of censorship ? I am sure the media and public would not be just silent spectators.
— Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) February 10, 2020
Earlier on Feb 7, Jagdeep Dhankhar read out government-prepared 25-page state budget opening speech, which contained the Mamata government's stand against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) with words such as 'divisive India', 'intolerance' and 'majoritarianism' all thrown in.
Saying no to live telecast, the state government barred the entry of TV cameras inside Bengal assembly house, Bidhan Sabha Bhaban, during the governor's budget speech on that day.
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