RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat speech coverage: DD defends, Congress questions govt

New Delhi, Oct 3: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat customary Dussehra rally at its headquarters in Reshmbagh ground, Nagpur became a controversial issue when the Doordarshan broad-casted it 'live for the first time', on Friday.

The Congress and other political parties reacted sharply to the Doordarshan's move of broadcasting Bhagwat's speech live.

The former minister in the UPA govt, Salman Khurshid told a news channel, "Influence over media channels is worrying. We don't accept RSS record as above all aspirations."

Rashid Alvi, the Congress spokesperson said, "DD cannot be made RSS mouthpiece."

Another Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit questioned the timing of the broadcast.

CPI also attacked the government over Doordarshan's live telecast of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's Vijaydashmi address saying it was the misuse of the public broadcaster for saffron propaganda.

Party MP D Raja said the government, specifically the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, should give an explanation to the people for allowing DD to be the mouthpiece for the RSS.

He said it was "a disquieting and distressing trend that the country's secular and democratic values were undermined by the government action."The CPI(M) said, "This is a misuse of the public broadcaster for saffron propaganda. The national public broadcaster has no business to telecast live the speech of the Chief of an organisation like the RSS."

"RSS used the public broadcaster to propagate its Hindutva ideology", the CPI(M) said.

Meanwhile, the DoorDarshan Director General Archana Dutta defended the coverage by saying "speech was covered like any other news".

During his address to the RSS workers, Bhagwat came out in fulsome praise of the Modi government for initiatives on national security, economy and international relations in a short period of six months.

Bhagwat said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the US has sent positive signals and has ushered a new enthusiasm among people of the country.

"A new ray of hope has entered in the hearts of the people. The entire country was feeling proud of the visit and the subsequent talks with the US government," he said, adding, the world needs India.

He also lauded the efforts of the Centre and volunteers of the RSS for undertaking rescue works in Jammu and Kashmir which has recently witnessed worst-ever floods.

The right-wing, volunteer Hindu nationalist organisation was formed on Vijay Dashmi in 1925 in Nagpur.

OneIndia News