Left meets PM, seek stalling of UNI share deal

New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) Top leaders of the two major Left parties met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today and sought his intervention in stalling the sale of a majority stake in United News of India to a media house.

They also asked the government to find ways to ''turn around'' the 45-year old news agency.

The sole issue that the Left leaders took up with Dr Manmohan Singh was the acquisition of a controlling stake in UNI by Mediavest, headed by Mr Subhash Chandra, who is also a major shareholder of Zee TV.

In their 20-minute meeting with Dr Singh, Mr Prakash Karat, General Secretary of CPI(M), and Mr A B Bardhan, General Secretary of CPI, said the government's intervention was necessary to help maintain the agency's "neutral and independent" character.

"We discussed just the UNI issue with the Prime Minister," Mr Bardhan said.

A statement by the Central Committee of CPI(M) said Dr Manmohan Singh told the leaders that he was awaiting a report in this regard from the Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi "to decide how to act on the matter." Mr Karat and Mr Bardhan asked the government ''to give a liberal revival package so that UNI re-emerges as a powerful competitor'' to its rival Press Trust of India. They said ''this was the very purpose'' of setting up UNI in 1961 at the behest of first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru.

The leaders said they would meet the Prime Minister again after he receives the report.

The Left leaders had earlier written to the Prime Minister regarding the necessity of '' maintaining the neutral character'' of the UNI, it being a Section 25 Company under the Companies Act.

The sale of majority shares of UNI to Mediavest has evoked strong opposition from the Left, the Congress, the BJP, other political parties, trade unions, civil liberties organisations and other civil society groups.

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