Govt intervention against UNI takeover was 'timid': CPI (M)

New Delhi, Oct 9 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has charged the government with ''timid intervention'' to block the majority shares of United News of India (UNI) going into the hands of a private media group.

''The deal has taken place right in the capital of India after the government through its information minister, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi tried timidly to intervene following strong opposition from Left parties in particular from the CPI (M) and the CPI who wrote strong letters to the Prime Minister,'' says a hard-hitting article in party organ 'People's Democracy'.

The article titled 'On India's Murdoch Eyeing UNI' says for many workers of the news agency, the basic cause of anxiety was the ''total lack of transparency'' that accompanied the deal.

It says amid strong Left protests and letters sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Dasmunsi requested UNI on September 25 to postpone its board meeting. ''His appeal, it is clear was unheeded and he had only asked for postponement 'if possible','' says the article.

The deal has put the livelihood of more than thousand journalists and other employees of the news agency at stake, it says adding multinational corporate houses have slowly started ''swallowing'' the Indian media particularly news agencies and newspapers ''risking'' the freedom of the press, democracy and the security of the country.

''The more than Rs 500 crore asset of UNI is at stake. It is becoming a general trend of deliberately rendering viable ventures into loss making units to enable the sale, which must be decried,'' says the article.

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