One should not indulge in the idea that Mr. Jaitley himself has only been responsible for this Thapar-Yadav ouster plan. This latest step is actually a culmination of Saffron Brigade's continuous attack against the very autonomy, autonomous structure of the Prasar Bharati Corporation. The government is operating in a planned and determined manner. Their main target is the autonomous structure of the broadcasting media. The main objective, atleast, the declared objective of that structure is to follow and implement the principle of Public Service Broadcasting. The Saffron Brigade has virtually declared a total war against each of the elements of democratising the broadcast media.

It has been a misfortune for the Prasar Bharati experiment, as it has had to face serious blows in two of its important junctures. Firstly, in 1990, the enactment of the Prasar Bharati Act was immediately followed by the fall of V P Singh-led National Front government, which got no time to implement the Act. After that, the Narasimah Rao government came in to power with its notorious neo-liberal policies. Secondly, when the Gujral government ultimately notified and implemented this Act, cold storaged by the previous Congress regime, and constituted the Prasar Bharati Board; within a fortnight Congress Party withdrew support and Gujral government had to resign, paving the way for a Sangh Parivar-dictated BJP government. Thus, such a novel and unique democratic experiment like the Prasar Bharati, unfortunately, has been denied a favourable environment to flourish.

In post-1990 period during the Rao Government time, the principle of broadcasting autonomy had to face sustained attack from neo-liberalism promoted pro-privatisation paradigm. The fundamental proposition of this paradigm had been to make autonomous structure irrelevant as a democratic alternative to a government-controlled system. The Rao-regime wanted to keep Doordarshan and All India Radio under governmental / bureaucratic grip on the one hand, and on the other, decided to extend more and more privileges to the private Indian and foreign multinational TV channels. We experienced a new symbiotic relationship between India's neo-liberal yuppies and multinational media managers -- a perfect Made for Each Other combination. In the pretext of advent of a new situation in the backdrop of foreign-satellite-hooked channel boom, the ruling establishment tried to label Prasar Bharati Act 1990 in particular and autonomous model in general as out-dated or old-fashioned practices, allegedly unfit to cope up with new realities. It had been made more or less an acknowledged stand even before the formation of Prasar Bharati Board in November 1997 that it was no way possible to bypass the privatisation of Indian broadcasting system; and foreign broadcasts were to be given some concessions. It being not possible to discard Prasar Bharati entirely, atleast some changes in the 1990 Act had been compulsive - we were advised.

Even when the United Front Government constituted the Prasar Bharati Board it accepted, in principle, the neo-liberal formulations propounded by the Rao-regime. But, it was a positive gesture on the part of the United Front Government that it had shown atleast the political will to implement the Prasar Bharati Act, and had recognised Prasar Bharati Corporation as a democratic model for Indian broadcasting.

But now the BJP government has targetted this autonomous structure of Prasar Bharati. From the very first day, the Vajpayee government has been considering autonomous broadcasting very categorically as one of its political and ideological rivals. They could not accept the formation of Prasar Bharati Board - i.e. selection of members prior to their assuming power. So, the spite against Prasar Bharati and the attempt to hijack its autonomy is understandable.

First on BJP government's agenda was to get rid of Mr. S.S. Gill, the CEO of Prasar Bharati, a President appointee. They did it successfully in August last year, when Mrs. Sushma Swaraj was the Information and Broadcasting minister. Then a reliable bureaucrat was planted there, a practice which has since been continuing.

This was followed by some hectic moves to offer some facilities to the private Indian broadcasters including foreign multinationals. Though the whole package in this regard is yet to be finalised.

Moreover, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, the successor of Mrs. Swaraj declared just before the 13th Loksabha election that autonomy of broadcast media had become "meaningless" in the new situation and the Union government was not in a mood to de-control DD and AIR. Not just said, Mahajan & Co. showed their determination by blatantly (mis)using DD & AIR as the main propaganda tools for Vajpayee and his team during elections. This is quite unprecedented to say the least, in the history of autonomous broadcasting in any country. It is a new feather indeed on the Saffron Cap! Probably, only the Sangh Parivar can resort to bring an autonomous broadcast agency down to such a pitiable mockery. Unprecedented is also the manner in which Mr. Thapar and Mr. Yadav have been ousted from the Prasar Bharati Board.

Strangely enough, the Vajpayee government claims that Mr. Thapar and Mr. Yadav's termination is perfectly as per the provision of Prasar Bharati Act. But the fact is that in November 1997 they were appointed as members of the Board for six years, mentioned in black and white in their appointment letters. The Board Chairman, Mr. Nikhil Chakraborty passed away in the meantime. The government is yet to select a suitable candidate for this post. So, now the remaining members are Mr. B.G. Verghese, Mr. Abid Hussain and Mr. U.R. Rao. As per the provision of Prasar Bharati Act one-third of the Board members are to retire every second year. Here one-third of the six members, i.e. two of them are to retire in two years. The Act provided for the requirement of making a suitable "provision" by the President before the curtailment of term of office of a Board member. But this time the Information and Broadcasting Department has abruptly targetted Mr. Thapar and Mr. Yadav as the first two to be executed. A government notification issued in this connection also declares that Mr. Abid Hussain amd Mr. U.R. rao are to go next, in November 2001. Only Mr. Verghese would be lucky one to be allowed to complete full term of six years.

So, the governmental intention and prejudice are clear. Mr. Thapar and Mr. Yadav had to go first because of their secular and independent credentials. How can such "dissidents" be tolerated! The ruling clique wants to send a clear signal to all concerned that "autonomy" in this "stable and able" regime has nothing to do with a right to differ with the Prime Minister's men. The Sangh Parivar-inspired government does not hestitate to silence the voice of dissent or any view that does not conform with its viewpoint.

In fact, the Prasar Bharati case is part of the same grand-design that saw the induction of Sangh Parivar men in other autonomous academic organisations also, like the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, the Indian Council of Historical Research, the Indian Council of Social Science Research or the National Council of Education Research and Training to name a few. All such institutions have already been saffronised, fully or in part. The government seems to be desperate to get hold of all such "autonomous" institutions. Independent voices are ruthlessly curbed, the witch-hunting is in full swing and Prasar Bharati is one of the victims. Look at the Union Government's recent threat to the independent Election Commission. The attempt to put two more members in the existing three-member Election Commission is nothing but to tighten control over it. The totalitarian face of the Saffron Brigade is now exposed enough.

Democracy stands, among other things, largely on the right balance in the relationship of the government with such autonomous institutions. Such balance is one of the bases of a civil society. The BJP and Sangh Parivar, for obvious reasons, are not able to cope up with this accepted democratic decorum, a civil society stands for. They are not used to such practices for political and ideological compulsions. As, what is understood by a bourgeois political party in a democracy, is hardly resembled with the Sangh Parivar-promoted political outfit. Onslaught on autonomous Prasar Bharati has once again exposed Saffron Brigade's fascistic intolerance.