Kochi: An agitated Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday bluntly told journalists representing two Malayalam television channels to leave the venue of a press conference here and asserted that he would not talk to them. While the ruling CPI(M) and the main opposition Congress termed his behaviour "fascist," the Kerala Union of Working Journalists demanded that he rectify his "mistake" and expressed regret for his "undemocratic" action.
Khan, who is at loggerheads with the Marxist party-led government over several issues told the journalists working for Kairali News and MediaOne to "get out." He blamed Kairali for its party affiliation and the other channel for campaigning against him. Kairali News is a CPI(M) managed channel and MediaOne is backed by a Muslim organisation.
The Governor persuasively said: "Please go away. If you want me to go away, I will go away. I dont want to argue and I am again requesting." Khan was here in connection with the Urban Mobility India conference and he met the press at a government guest house. Before addressing the media, he demanded to know if journalists who represent the two media groups were present and when he got an affirmative answer, he became agitated.
"I am not able to persuade myself any longer to speak to people who masquerade as media but are actually members of the party cadre. I won't talk to anyone from Kairali. I will walk away if Kairali is here." A visibly irate Khan claimed that MediaOne was only settling scores with him over the decades old Shah Bano case. "You (MediaOne) are carrying out a campaign against me," he said.
When reporters pointed out that they were invited by the Raj Bhavan PRO, the Governor said, "there might have been a mistake". He said he has been repeatedly emphasising that he shall not speak to these two television channel representatives as they were carrying out "campaigns against him" based on "total falsehood."
Khan said he would see if there is any lapse by the Raj Bhavan staff in connection with allowing representatives of the two channels. "But I have categorically made it clear that I shall not talk to Kairali or MediaOne. Have made it clear again and again. They are basically political persons masquerading as media," Khan alleged.
Addressing the press conference, Khan claimed that a system of "oligarchy" prevailed in CPI(M)-ruled Kerala and it was evident from the appointment of party cadres to government posts. Khan's never seen before action targeting journalists drew strong condemnation. Hitting out at the Governor, Leader of Opposition, V D Satheesan said that by barring a section of the press, Khan was preventing dissemination of information to the people. It is unacceptable, undemocratic and unjustified, the Congress leader said.
"Excluding the media is a style of the fascist regime. It is not only a threat to democracy but also a violation of freedom of the press," he said in a statement. Satheesan also claimed that even Congress-promoted "Jaihind TV" was denied access to the venue. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that excluding certain media houses from the press conference, after they were invited, was a "fascist" move. In a statement, he said that the Left party would resist such attempts to intimidate people and the government and it shall not succeed.
"The Governor earlier also took a similar stand. Those who criticised him were called cadres. This is unacceptable in a democratic society," the Marxist party leader said. Kairali News employees wore black badges on Monday as a sign of protest against the Governor. The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) condemned the Governor's decision and said his action indicated intolerance when he faced criticism. The journalists body announced that its members would go on a protest march on Tuesday to the Raj Bhavan.
All the media houses were asked by the Raj Bhavan to send an e-mail seeking permission to attend the press conference. Before the Governor arrived, officials read out a list of journalists representing several media houses and confirmed their presence including those who worked for Kairali and MediaOne. (PTI)
(This story has not been edited by ETV Bharat and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
