Mumbai: Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was in charge of a party delegation which met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, here Tuesday.
‘Undeclared emergency’
The delegation claimed that there was an undeclared emergency in the state and that journalists were being terrorised by the Uddhav Thackeray government. Former chief minister Fadnavis was accompanied by Pravin Darekar and senior leaders Ashish Shelar and Vinod Tawde.
Fadnavis claimed ‘ABP Majha’ journalist Rahul Kulkarni was arrested in connection with a migrant mob gathering in Bandra during lockdown. His arrest happened because he had exposed a letter given by a state government official to scam-accused DHFL promoters Wadhawans. The letter had allowed the real estate tycoons to travel from Mumbai to Satara during lockdown.
Since the case was filed in Mumbai, the arrested journalist was made to travel through COVID-19 hotspots, Fadnavis alleged. He said a case had also been filed against a ‘Times Now’ journalist for a new report.
Journalists harassed
The media can be asked to clarify a negative news report but filing cases and arresting them amounts to terrorising the media, Fadnavis claimed.
Fadnavis further pointed out that journalist Arnab Goswami was grilled for 12 hours by the police in connection with a news programme he hosted.
“Those speaking out against the Maharashtra government on social media are also being harassed. Even distribution of newspapers was being curtailed in the name of health threat,” said Fadnavis.
The door-to-door delivery of newspapers has been prohibited in containment areas to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“We urge you to intervene and seek a response from the Maharashtra government,” Fadnavis told the governor.
PTI
