No idea: Nitish Kumar on INDIA’s ‘ban’ on 14 journalists; BJP says rift exposed

Bihar chief minister and a key exponent of the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance Nitish Kumar on Saturday said he does not support any ban on journalists.

He said he had no idea of INDIA bloc boycotting the journalists. “I have no idea about this…I am in support of journalists. When everyone gets full freedom, journalists will write what they like. Are they controlled? Have I ever done it? They have rights, I am not against anyone,” Nitish Kumar said.

“If journalists have full freedom, they will write what they like. Everyone has their rights,” the Bihar chief minister said.

“Right now those who are at the Centre have controlled a few people…,Those who are with us must have felt that something is happening. However, I am not against anyone,” the INDIA leader said fanning BJP’s theory of rift inside the opposition alliance.

The INDIA bloc on Thursday came up with a list of 14 anchors whose debate shows will not be attended by INDIA representatives. The list triggered a controversy and the BJP called it the Emergency mindset of the Congress trying to gag the media.

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday said it is wrong to call the move as ‘ban, boycott or blacklist’ as it is a ‘non-cooperation’ move. Pawan Khera said the 14 journalists named on the list are not being stopped ‘from spreading hatred’, but the INDIA parties — in a consensus — decided to not be part of the television shows these anchors host. In future, if the journalists realise what they were doing was wrong for the country, INDIA parties will again send their representatives to their shows, Pawan Khera clarified.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Nitish Kumar has openly taken a stand on the ‘boycott’ of the journalists and called it wrong. “Congress left red faced! Many more are opposing this EMERGENCY FATWA of Congress inside INDI alliance,” Poonawalla said adding that the Samajwadi Party violated that fatwa within minutes after it was issued.

The list of the 14 journalists include Aditi Tyagi, Aman Chopra, Amish Devgan, Anand Narasimhan, Arnab Goswami, Ashok Shrivastav, Chitra Tripathi, Gaurav Sawant, Navika Kumar, Prachi Parashar, Rubika Liaquat, Shiv Aroor and Sudhir Chaudhary