Congress says Goa assembly guidelines for media accreditation ‘undemocratic’

The guidelines say a journalist who wants accreditation to cover an assembly session must have experience of at least five years, and the newspaper he or she belongs to must have a circulation of more than 15,000.

india Updated: Apr 04, 2018 19:26 IST
The Congress said the guidelines amount to an attack on the freedom of the press.
The Congress said the guidelines amount to an attack on the freedom of the press.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Congress on Wednesday demanded that “unconstitutional” and “undemocratic” media accreditation guidelines issued by the Goa assembly secretariat be withdrawn.

Addressing a press conference in Panaji, All India Congress Committee secretary Girish Chodankar said the guidelines are “unconstitutional, undemocratic” and amount to an attack on the freedom of press.

“The guidelines discriminate against media houses on basis of circulation, which is unjust,” he said, demanding that Speaker Dr Pramod Sawant should withdraw them.

As per the guidelines, a journalist who wants the accreditation for covering an Assembly session must have an experience of at least five years, and the newspaper he or she belongs to must have a circulation of more than 15,000.

Referring to the guidelines issued by the information and broadcasting ministry on fake news, which were immediately withdrawn following widespread criticism, Chodankar alleged that the ruling BJP in Goa is “following the mindset of party bosses in Delhi”.