It is by now crystal clear that the BJP has been shamelessly using the two media as a party's mouthpiece on the eve of the next Lok Sabha election. Officers of the TV and radio are being forced to undertake the BJP's election campaign by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry headed by Mr. Promod Mahajan. Mr. Mahajan's official residence in Delhi has been converted as the BJP's campaign office. The independent character of the Prasar Bharati is being trampled under the feet. TV and the radio are being used as a mouthpiece of the BJP too.

Leaders of the Left Front parties demanded recast of the editorial board of the Prasar Bharati. Since the proposal cannot be implemented before the election, a board of advisors with representation from all the political parties must be constituted, the leaders demanded.

In his address before the gathering in front of the TV Centre the Left Front Chairman Sailen Dasgupta said that the audience and viewers must write to the authorities of the TV centre whenever they come across one-sided telecast of news and views by the TV. People must protest against such misuse of the electronic media by the BJP.

Dasgupta said the Prasar Bharati despite being a government body, was being used to campaign for the BJP only on the instruction of the BJP's Minister Mr. Promod Mahajan. He said that success of the Left Front Government in West Bengal were not highlighted by the TV and the radio. In this connection Dasgupta gave the example of the successful completion of the Brakeswar thermal power plant. Generation for commercial purpose in the Bakreswar plant would start soon, Dagupta said. The bourgeoise and a communal party like the BJP had all along campaigned against setting up of the Bakreswar Thermal plant. The TV and the radio blacked out all news highlighting achievement of the Left Front, Dasgupta added. He also referred tot he gimmicks of the Trinamul leaders Ms Mamata Banerjee who always tried to mislead the people by making unrealistic demands through what she called her 'Bengal Package'.

The CPI(M) State Committee Secretary, Anil Biswas speaking at a meeting on Rani Rasmoni Road, near the A.I.R. Station in the city alleged that the government media, such as the TV and the AIR has shunned its neutrality. These were being used as tools for propagating the views of the BJP and its allies. Biswas said even in capitalist countries, the party in power did not resort to such high degree of discrimination against the opposition parties.

Biswas also echoed the Left's demand for recasting the editorial board of the Prasar Bharati. He also protested against the transfer of the Station Director of A.I.R. Calcutta recently.

Rabin Deb, CPI(M) MLA cited several examples to prove how TV and the radio were being saffronized at the behest of the communal BJP and their leaders.

Hundreds of militant activist on the call of the Delhi state committee, CPI(M) came together to demonstrate in front of Doordarshan and Akashwani Kendra. They were showing their anger against the shameless misuse of Doordarshan & Akashwani as a political tool for fulfilling their own political desires and for attacking the opposition.

Delhi police had made arrangements at a large scale to suppress the demonstration and attack the demonstrators. When CPI(M) activist were raising slogans against the political misuse of the broadcasting media by the BJP, police started the lathicharge and consequently dozens of activists were wounded. 12 demonstrators including the Delhi state secretary Pushpendra Grewal have been arrested by the police.

A memorandum has been given on behalf of the demonstrators by Delhi state secretariat member and central committee member Jogendra Sharma, in which it is being demanded that the use of Doordarshan and Akashwani in favour of BJP should be stopped immediately.

More than eight hundred CPI(M) activists staged a protest dharna today in front of Jalandhar TV centre from 11.30 a m to 2 p m. The dharna was addressed by Balwant Singh, Mangat Ram Pasla, Charan Singh Virdi and other leaders.

The speakers lambasted the manipulation of electronic media by the caretaker Vajpayee government in its narrow partisan interest, and asked the participants to expose the Vajpayee government's nefarious misdeeds particularly when the model code of conduct is in operation.