The decision came after the party’s working president and minister KT Rama Rao’s recently said he knew very well how to ban them.
The pink party also asked its leaders not to appear in the channel’s debates or discussions. (Supplied)
In a move that raises questions over press freedom in Telangana, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Tuesday, 14 March, announced its decision to ban Telugu news channel V6 and Telugu newspaper Velugu from attending its press conferences.
The pink party also asked its leaders not to appear in the channel’s debates or discussions.
The action of the BRS was apparently in pursuance to KTR’s announcement on 9 March that he knew very well how to ban V6 and Velugu newspapers.
“The Bharat Rashtra Samithi has decided to boycott the V6 channel and Velugu dailies, which are harming the interests of the Telangana state at every step and giving horns to the Bharatiya Janata Party,” reads the BRS statement.
It added that “these media organisations, which are supposed to act impartially in a democracy, have become a pocket organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party and are working with lies and fabrications with the sole agenda of spewing poison on the BRS party and the state of Telangana”.
The BRS continued: “In this context, the BRS has decided not to allow V6 and Velugu for press meetings. In addition, it has been decided that no party representatives should participate in any activities, including discussions, conducted by these organisations.”
It added: “The BRS appeals to the people of Telangana to understand the real nature and agenda of these media organisations, which have become the mouthpiece of BJP and have lost credibility.”
Boycott by BRS of BJP’s Mouthpiece V6 , Velugu which peddles Fake News . pic.twitter.com/35mf1YVAqM
— Krishank (@Krishank_BRS) March 14, 2023
After the news of the ban, the channel acknowledged that the announcement came from KTR’s office.
“On 9 March, KTR said he knew how to ban V6. As a continuation of that, the decision to boycott has now been taken. The ruling party has taken the decision because of its intolerance to the channel and the newspaper focusing on reporting the truth about what actually is happening at the ground level and the problems people were facing,” read the V6 statement.
The channel also said a debate was going on in the political circles that KTR’s decision to boycott V6 and Velugu was only to “prevent the truth from reaching the people”.
“V6 and Velugu have been acting as the voice of the 4 crore people of Telangana. They have been working for Telangana ever since their inception. The BRS’ decision to boycott V6 and Velugu has exposed how much it is afraid of them,” continued the statement.
It may be recalled that in September 2022, BJP leaders reportedly asked the journalists from T News, Telangana Today, and Namasthe Telangana to leave the venue moments before Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was scheduled to address a press conference at the party’s office in Nampally, deeming them “pro-BRS”.
Both these actions have raised serious questions over freedom of the press in Telangana, with parties targeting media houses and questioning their editorial stance.
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