Dasmunsi expresses concern at the UNI deal

New Delhi, Oct 17 (UNI) The government today expressed its willingness to intervene to maintain the neutral character of UNI and said it was in the process of seeking the views of various concerned Ministries in this regard.

This was indicated by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi in an hour-long meeting he had this evening with the representatives of the Confederation of Newspaper and News Agency Employees Organisations.

Mr Dasmunsi said his Ministry has already prepared a Status Report on the deal to take over a majority stake in UNI by Mediavest, a company promoted by Mr Subhash Chandra, who also has the largest shareholding in Zee Television.

The Ministry is now engaged in seeking the views of other Ministries, including Finance, Department of Company Affairs and Law, he said.

Mr Dasmunsi, who expressed concern at the concentration of economic and political power in the media, was of the view that the neutral character of the news agency must be maintained at all costs.

"Concentration of this kind would prove fatal for the free flow of information and democracy", he said.

Mr Dasmunsi said he would report the matter in entirety to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and was exploring the option of calling an all-party meet on the issue.

The Confederation was represented by Indian Journalists Union President Suresh Akhouri, National Union of Journalists leader N K Trikha, President of Delhi Union of Journalists S K Pande, All India Newspaper Employeees Federation leader Madan Talwar, and UNI Workers Union President Mohan Lal Joshi and representative of Joint Action Committee of UNI Employees Rajesh Kumar.

Confederation leaders told the Minister that the deal lacked "transparency and was fraudulent in character.'' They wanted that the four co-opted Directors be recalled as the case of transfer of shares has been stayed in the Delhi High Court by a bidder. Besides, it was violative of the UNI Articles of Association, which provides that not more than two Directors be co-opted on the UNI Board, they claimed.

Asking the government to intervene to abort the deal, the Cofederation said the deal was against the spirit of the Broadcasting Bill to be introduced in the next session of Parliament. The Bill disfavours cross-media holding.

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