Row after media restricted to glass enclosure in Parliament
Restrictions were imposed on the movement of media personnel in Parliament, especially television reporters.
Restrictions imposed on the movement of media personnel in Parliament, especially television reporters, and a decision to confine them to a glass enclosure on Monday triggered a political uproar.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, urged Speaker Om Birla to “release the media from the prison”, after some members of the media staged a protest.
Birla later met a large group of journalists and promised a host of concessions. It was also decided that the media will also adhere to certain norms such as not interviewing non-MPs inside the complex, or talk to parliamentarians at the stairs of Makar Dwar, the main gate of the new Parliament building. “The outcome of the meeting was positive,” said a senior journalist.
Read more: ‘Read parliamentary rules’: Om Birla tells Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha Speaker, according to journalists, agreed that the media enclosure would be expanded and media’s entry from the gate across the Transport Bhavan would be restarted. “Media will be given precedence in checking in entries and permanent passes will be issued. The media can exit from all gates to be allowed except for PM and VP’s gates,” added the journalist who attended the meeting. Canteen facilities for the media will also be improved, he added.
According to some Parliament functionaries, a few TV journalists spoke to farmer leaders when they had come to meet Gandhi on Friday. “Some complaints were also received that media speaks to MPs on the stairs of the Makar Dwar, which is strictly prohibited,” said a senior functionary, requesting anonymity.
Read more: V-P Dhankhar slams ‘hit-and-run strategy’ in Parliament, says ‘no topic off-limits if…’
On Monday, TV camerapersons were instructed to stay in the enclosure and not to take bytes elsewhere. In the old Parliament, too, there were media enclosures but the restrictions on interviewing lawmakers were usually not strictly enforced. The decision to keep the reporters inside the enclosure sparked a controversy with opposition politicians such as Karti Chidambaram, Derek O’Brien and Priyanka Chaturvedi visiting the spot, and media bodies calling for the restrictions to be lifted.
