'Press not giving due coverage to Par Proceedings'

New Delhi, Mar 14: Cutting across party lines members in the RajyaSabha today expressed their anguish over ''disappearance'' of theParliament proceedings in the print media particularly and called forappropritate steps for ensuring due coverage. Raising the issue just before the initiation of the debate on theGeneral Budget 2007-08 by former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha in theHouse, BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu got up to say what was the relevanceof debating the issues when nothing of it ever appeared in the printmedia.

He did not subscribe to Deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan's views thatthe proceedings were duly telecast live by the Rajya Sabha T V channeland questioned the chair's observation that ''How many people watchthis channel''.

''If proceedings get into print, anyone could read them any time,'' Mr Naidu said.

The BJP leader pointed out when the General Budget had got widepublicity why the debate should not get the same treatment from thepress.

He was joined by several other members from various parties who too expressed concern over the matter.

Later commenting in a lighter vein, Mr Naidu himself suggestedthat newspaper editors and reporters should be invited over tea orlunch and be asked for giving due coverage to the Parliamentaryproceedings.

UNI

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