KCR gets an earful for attack on media

HYDERABAD: A day after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao warned the media against insulting Telangana culture and people, the Opposition went for his jugular, stating that such remarks didn't behove a CM.

KCR, speaking at the late poet Kaolji Narayana Rao's birth centenary celebrations in Warangal on Tuesday, had said, 'If anybody tries to denigrate or hurt the self-respect of Telangana, Telangana Assembly, Telangana culture... we will break their necks. Be careful. Beware or else we will bury you 10 km (under the earth).'

Union Urban Development Minister and senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Nadiu sought to offer him advice, saying, 'If he has any complaint about the content of any news channel, he is free to approach the Press Council. For a democracy to flourish, government, opposition and the media should exist together.'

Venkaiah's comments set off speculation that the Centre has taken a serious note of KCR's duel with the media. Sources told that the 'Centre is seized of the developments in the State' but didn't clarify what steps, if any, it is going to take.

Amidst this ongoing controversy, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar will be arriving in Hyderabad Thursday. Though he is primarily coming for the bypoll campaign in Medak Lok Sabha constituency, he might join issue with KCR. Significantly, he said Thursday in Delhi that he would look into the matter.

KCR's remarks were targeted at two vernacular news channels ' which he claims have been airing derogatory content against Telangana people. In fact, local cable operators have blocked the channels for over three months and Javadekar had even said in Parliament recently that cable operators cannot block channels and that if they continue to do so, the Centre had the power to cancel their licence.

As KCR's latest salvos created a ruckus, his daughter and Nizamabad MP Kavitha came to his rescue, pointing out his remarks shouldn't be seen in isolation.

'All political parties in Telangana have condemned them (the channels). Yesterday's statement should not be viewed in isolation... It is a long story which has been happening for the past few years... Kindly understand it in respect of the Telangana movement,' Kavita said.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari too jumped into the fray, stating, 'In a democracy, it is appropriate that parties should stand up and safeguard media freedom rather than undermine it.'

Slugfest in virtual world too

In the virtual world too, supporters and opponents of KCR got into a slugfest. KCR's supporters circulated videos of certain bulletins aired by one of the channels in question ' wherein KCR was branded a 'sinner' and his physical appearance made light of.