Restore telecast licence of Media One, demands Congress leader Adhir Ranjan in LS

New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday said the licence of Malayalam news channel Media One was revoked by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry for"vague reasons" and demanded that the government's order be immediately withdrawn. Drawing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's attention to the issue during the Zero Hour, the leader of the Congress in the House said the ministry revoked the telecast licence without citing a valid reason. "I would like to draw your kind attention to a matter of serious public concern. I have been given to understand that the I&B Ministry has revoked the licence of a very popular media channel called Media One," Chowdhury said. It is a matter of serious concern that the license has been revoked "without citing any valid reason", he said. "The reasons cited by the government is very vague, security as the reason without any elaborating in detail," he added. The Congress leader said the media is the fourth "important pillar" of the democracy and said the freedom of speech and expression is important to have a "vibrant and lively democracy" in the country. "In fact, the government should encourage free Ppress so that democracy is further strengthened," Chowdhury said, adding, "I shall appeal to you that the restriction on Media One may immediately be lifted. And, the concerned order of Government of India be withdrawn immediately," he said. Some of the Opposition members were heard associating themselves with the issue raised by the Congress leader as he concluded his submission before the House. The Lok Sabha speaker then adjourned the House for the day. PTI PK (Source: Vartha Bharati)