NWMI condemns Raj for barring Hindi media

Pune, Feb 11 (UNI) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray came under fire from the Network of Women in Media (NWMI) for barring the Hindi media from attending a news conference that he addressed in Mumbai on February 9.

''The Hindi media was not invited to the news conference on Saturday,'' said NWMI in a release, which was issued at the end of its sixth conference here yesterday.

Citing newspaper reports, the release said, ''They (MNS) acted as if they were the police, government and the court all rolled into one. It was an act of parochialism.'' Calling it an ''arbitrary'' and an ''unjustified'' move, the NWMI said, ''The action was not only discriminatory but also unconstitutional. It was an attack on the freedom of the press,'' ''To single out certain communities and not allowing them to report at his news conference reflects Raj Thackeray's prejudices and undemocratic approach,'' said the release.

NWMI appealed to women journalists across the country to stay united. The media must ensure that such discrimination cannot be enforced and it should take a united stand against such divisive forces, it added.

Over 100 women journalists from across the country attended the three-day conference.

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