Capt dares Badal to public debate on ads
Wednesday, 12/10/2011
Reiterating his charge that the Badal Government had misused its powers by giving PTC television channels, owned by the Chief Minister’s own family, advertisements against prescribed norms, PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh today dared the CM to an open debate on the issue.
Addressing a press conference here, Amarinder said the main issue was that of the Badals owning the PTC and giving undue broadcast and advertisement advantages to the channels. Referring to the “false and malicious propaganda” by the Badal family against him after he exposed the massive advertisement scandal, he said: “The Badals can’t mislead the public by trying to draw parallels with the advertisements given to a particular news channel.”
The former CM said while his government gave advertisements to Punjab Today, it did not block any channel from airing its programmes. Nor did it give preferential treatment to a particular channel.
“It was our duty, decision and discretion to give advertisements to different media organisations based on our assessment as to how much we would be benefited in return, but we did not own any of these channels or gave preferential treatment to any one at the cost of others.”
The PPCC president noted that the Badals became owners of the channels after coming to power and gave the channels undue advantage by blocking other channels competing with the PTC and also issuing government advertisements to their own channels while ignoring the others.
Amarinder Singh said he would do away with the “media monopoly” and bring in transparency in the functioning of the media. On the Right to Service Act, the former CM said there was nothing new in it except that the officials had been made accountable for any lapses.
“Why only the officers, why not the ministers, who are the heads of departments, made accountable,” he asked.
Amarinder favoured revision of the MSP for wheat and said he had written to the PM on the matter.
Among those present at the conference were Chaudhary Jagjit, Sardul Singh, OP Soni, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Jasbir Singh Dimpa and Laali Majithia
