CPI(M) attacks Centre over Tripura CM’s IDay speech

The CPI(M) and the union government seem to be headed for a face-off over public broadcaster, Doordarshan’s (DD) decision to not air a pre-recorded speech of Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar. The CPI(M) termed the decision as “authoritarian”.

Addressing media persons on Thursday, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said DD and All India Radio (AIR) refused to air Sarkar’s speech, recorded on August 12, asking him to “reshape it.”

“The Vijaydashmi speech of an RSS leader is shown live on Doordarshan. On that there is no objection. He is not an elected member...but his speech was nationally telecasted,” he said.

In the speech, a copy of which was released by Yechury, the Tripura CM lashed out against the Centre for following policies that are not in sync with India’s traditional heritage of unity in diversity. He also remarked that his government’s policies were different from the “anti-people” policy of the government at the Centre.

While DD’s Agartala unit denied blacking out Sarkar’s Independence Day speech, they declined to comment on whether a pre-recorded speech in which Sarkar was lashing out at the Centre was dropped.

Yechury appealed to all nonBJP state governments saying, “This is a brazen attack on the federal equation between the Centre and the states. The PM and cronies cannot order state CMs on speaking to the citizens,” he said in his address.

In a clarification letter, UK Sahoo, head of the DD unit in Agartala, said the broadcaster had “given wide coverage to the public address of the CM and the development activities of the state government”.