Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 19: Media was today kept at bay, despite an official invitation extended by the State Unit of Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP) to cover the function of Union Minister for Human Resources and Development Smriti Irani who is on two days tour to State to address Party ‘Karyakartas’ Sammelan in the city outskirts.
The party, last night, extended an official invitation to media to cover the function to be addressed by Ms Irani. However, despite the invitation, the media was not allowed to enter the venue hall where the Union Minister addressed the Party ‘karyakartas’.
“Only some of the photojournalists and the cameramen of news channels and newspapers were allowed to click the shots of the function but were also not allowed to record the speech of Ms Irani,” . Media men took strong exception to it and they also lodged a protest before State BJP leadership including its Legislative Party leader Ashok Khajuria and general secretary, Bali Bhagat.
They informed them that when the media was not to be allowed to cover the function why an invitation was sent to it yesterday by Party’s Media Cell.
“What was the fun of extending invitation to media when they were not allowed to cover the function’’ told one of the agitated cameraman to Bali Bhagat. He said in future BJP should not waste the time of media and humiliate it by extending such invitations.
He said “it is unfortunate that the media was not allowed to enter the hall and cover the function despite invitation,”. He said if the BJP leadership had directions from the High Command, they should not have invited the media.
“The BJP leadership should have issued a fresh e-mail to the media houses with an advisory that Ms Irani will not be interacting or issuing any statement to media so that we would have not visited the venue and get humiliated,” said another media person with resentment. Meanwhile, at the venue, Ms Irani when asked for comments, rejected the charges and said those who had extended the invitation to media should apologize.
Party sources said that Mrs Irani had given instructions to the Media Cell not to extend any invitation to media for covering her tomorrow’s programme at Nagrota Assembly Segment and also not to issue any statement on behalf of her.
BJP spokesperson and press secretary, Balbir Ram, who extended the invitations, said, “the programme was coordinated by the Party State general secretary, Bali Bhagat and despite directions from the High Command, he told us to invite media.”
Balbir Ram said in future also such ‘sammelans’ will be held and addressed by the BJP stalwarts ahead of Assembly elections to accomplish ‘Mission 44 plus’.
The BJP spokesman, however, apologised the media for inconvenience.
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