More arrests, Rahul Gandhi coverage: Why press freedom continues to take a beating in India Kalpana Sharma 23 Mar, 2023https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/03/23/more-arrests-rahul-gandhi-coverage-why-press-freedom-continues-to-take-a-beating-in-india Just days ago, the editor of a media house broke records of sycophancy in his speech while welcoming the PM at an event. After the Emergency ended, LK Advani, who was the information and broadcasting minister in the Janata government, famously said of the press that when asked to bend it chose to crawl during the Emergency. In this case, even though we don’t live under a state of emergency, an editor chose not just to crawl but to literally prostrate himself before the powerful. ...
The charge that Rahul Gandhi asked foreign countries to step in. There is no evidence of such an accusation. On the contrary, in his session at Chatham House, he makes a very clear statement. When asked what governments or even people in the West should do in the light of his comments about Indian democracy, Gandhi says, “First of all this is our problem. It’s an internal problem. It’s an Indian problem. And the solution is going to come from inside, not from outside.”
It is evident that the reason the BJP can confidently go ahead with its attack on Rahul Gandhi is because it knows that his actual statements have been sparingly reported. Deliberately, or otherwise, the Indian media has helped spread a lie.
Other references quoted in this article...
“A functional and healthy democracy must encourage the development of journalism as an institution that can ask difficult questions to the establishment – or as it is commonly known, ‘speak truth to power’. The vibrancy of any democracy is compromised when the press is prevented from doing exactly this. The press must remain free if a country is to remain a democracy.” CJI Chandrachud -‘Press must remain free if a country is to remain a democracy’: CJI Chandrachud at RNG awards https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ramnath-goenka-awards-2023-cji-dy-chandrachud-journalism-political-activism-full-speech-8513155/
Uttar Pradesh: YouTuber arrested after questioning minister on poll promises Mar 14, 2023 · https://scroll.in/latest/1045563/ Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader had filed a complaint against the YouTuber, Sanjay Rana, alleging that he interfered in government work. video https://twitter.com/i/status/1635326614207877120
Irfan Mehraj: Editors Guild, Amnesty, UN Special Rapporteur Condemn Arrest, Call for Release https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/03/23/more-arrests-rahul-gandhi-coverage-why-press-freedom-continues-to-take-a-beating-in-india 22 Mar 2023
Students protest after DU bars 2 from exams for 1 yr over BBC Modi documentary screening https://theprint.in/india/education/students-protest-after-du-bars-2-from-exams-for-1-yr-over-bbc-modi-documentary-screening/1463252/ Groups including NSUI had tried to screen Gujarat riots documentary in January. University official says action 'well thought out', but MP & alum Shashi Tharoor says he's 'appalled'.
Delhi Police file 100 cases, arrest 6 for posters seeking ouster of PM Modi https://scroll.in/latest/1046048/
The authorities seized 2,000 posters, which were reportedly being delivered to the Aam Aadmi Party’s headquarters.
What Rahul Gandhi Said in the UK and Why It Hit a Raw Nerve of the BJP's https://thewire.in/politics/rahul-gandhi-uk-bjp-modi-rajnath-singh Electoral considerations do not seem to have stopped Gandhi in the UK, but it is exactly why BJP – whose projection of Narendra Modi as a likeable global leader is integral ahead of the 2024 election campaign – is so worried.