Governor seems to have ceased to enjoy the media's pleasure, as news organisations and non-BJP political formations sharply criticise his act.
Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan . (South First)
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan barred two Malayalam television news channels from attending his media briefing on Monday, 7 November, saying he would “walk away” if the representatives of the two channels refused to leave.
“I will not talk to anyone from Kairali,” an emotionally charged governor shouted. “I will walk away. I hope there is no Kairali here. I hope there is no MediaOne here. Is there any MediaOne“, he asked at the Government Guest House in Ernakulam.
The governor’s outburst invited sharp reactions from media organisations and non-BJP political organisations.
Kairali News has the ruling CPI(M)’s support, while a trust backed by the Kerala unit of the Jamaat-E-Islami Hind owns MediaOne. Both channels are known to be critical of the governor, who is now locked in battle with the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government over charges of nepotism and large-scale misuse of power.
Incidentally, MediaOne is also critical of the chief minister. The channel was in the news after the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting imposed a telecast ban on it. The Supreme Court, in an interim order in March, allowed the channel to continue telecast.
Reporters of other channels present at the meeting questioned Governor Khan’s “arrogance.” The governor replied that the reporters of Kairali and MediaOne are party cadres masquerading as journalists.
“I considered the media as very important. I have always responded to the media. But I cannot now persuade myself to speak to those who masquerade as media. They are not media; they are masquerading as media but are political cadres”, Khan fumed.
“If anybody from these channels is attending the press meeting, please leave. I will walk away if there are correspondents from Kairali and MediaOne. I had categorically mentioned that I would not talk to Kairali and MediaOne“, he asserted.
The correspondent of Reporter TV, another news channel, walked out of the media meeting in protest, while others attended.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the Congress-backed channel, Jaihind, was not even informed of the news conference.
“It’s utterly shameful that the governor turns discriminatory at press meets. His insensitivity was evident when he shouted ‘get out’ to the correspondents of Kairali and MediaOne. He is just reflecting the RSS agenda towards dissenting media”, Satheesan told South First, when contacted.
Besides Khan, media persons who continued attending the news meeting, too, came under fire for remaining subservient to the governor’s action.
“The governor has caused severe injuries to the self-respect of all the journalists in Kerala. It was a matter of press freedom, and his action deserved a collective boycott. The action reflects how insensitive the governor is towards uncomfortable questions”, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. (KB Jayachandran/South First)
MediaOne editor Pramod Raman said his correspondent went to the news conference after the Raj Bhavan’s public relations officer had cleared her application.
The governor did not deny that the Raj Bhavan had cleared her entry. He termed a case of miscommunication between him and his staff.
The governor had earlier on 24 October barred Kairali, MediaOne, Jaihind and Reporter TV. The ban was lifted in after media organisations protested the outburst.
Earlier, the governor accused all Malayalam media organisations of having a vested interest to ask him “malicious questions” and declared that he would interact only with English and Hindi channels. He, however, changed his mind later.
Incidentally, Governor Khan was highly critical of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a recent news conference, saying the latter was highly insensitive to the media and even went to the extent of shouting “get out” to a set of journalists who attempted to cover a government programme.
“Media is not a party to the present confrontation between the state government and the governor. Here, the governor is using the media as a tool to push forward his agenda. It’s highly deplorable and violative of the press freedom,” opined noted media critic Dr Sebastain Paul.
Arif Mohammad Khan. (South First)
Following the governor’s outburst, Vijayan’s supporters on social media launched a scathing attack on Khan for his double-speak on press freedom.
“The situation required a collective boycott by the entire media. In Kerala, journalists are known for raising thoughtful questions to whoever is in power. Those who hold constitutional positions are bound to remain equal and tolerant to all media organisations and their representatives”, R S Babu, chairman of Kerala Media Academy, said.
In 1983, Assembly speaker Vakkom Purushothaman barred Babu, then a correspondent with CPI(M) organ Deshabhimani, from covering the House. Purushothaman’s diktat came after Babu wrote a series on the financial irregularities the speaker’s office had committed.
The ban order, however, led to a response the speaker had not anticipated.
“Journalists in Kerala collectively decided to boycott the Assembly proceedings to protest action against me. The press gallery was empty when the then-governor delivered the customary annual address to the legislature. The speech remained unreported, and the speaker finally dropped the action against me”, Babu added.
Incidentally, correspondents from the Congress mouthpiece, Veekshanam, and Union government-controlled AIR and Doordarshan, too, had joined the protest. “Such a collective resistance is now missing”, Babu rued.
“At the national level, a sizable section of the media remains subservient to the BJP and RSS. They distort facts and carry fake news to please those in power. Journalists in Kerala have a responsibility to resist such unhealthy trends the governor and his cronies are trying to replicate in the state,” said Babu.
An hour after the governor’s news conference, Kochi witnessed protest marches by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) and the collective of television journalists. KUWJ general secretary R Kiran Babu said the organisation would take out a march to the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday, November 8.
“Banning a certain section of the media from covering the governor’s press meet is anti-democratic, violates press freedom and is highly condemnable,” the union said in a media release on Monday.
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