AAP govt wants prior appointment for allowing media inside secretariat

New Delhi, Feb 20: The newly sworn-in AAP government on Feb 19 said that no ban has been imposed on the entry of media into the state secretariat but only those journalists are being allowed inside who have prior appointments with a minister or some official.

A five-member team of Delhi Press Accreditation Committee (DPAC) members today met senior officials of the government over the issue and sought entry into the secretariat for at least those journalists who have cards issued by Delhi's Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP).

However, no resolution could be arrived at till late in the evening on allowing entry to the media. Maintaining that the government has not imposed any ban on the media's entry into Delhi Secretariat, a senior official said that journalists who have appointments with ministers or officials are being allowed to enter the building.

"Journalists who have prior appointments with ministers and officials are being allowed to enter the Secretariat and it cannot be said that there is a ban on the media's entry," the official said.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, too, reiterated the above position and said that no ban has been imposed on the media's entry. Ministers are giving interviews daily, but if the media doesn't let us talk to the public, then it is wrong, he said.

DPAC chairman Ratnesh Mishra, meanwhile, said that government should allow those journalists who possess DIP cards. "A delegation from DPAC met senior officials and raised the issue. We demanded that journalists with DIP cards be allowed to enter the secretariat," Mishra said.

PTI