NEW DELHI: New restrictions on movement of mediapersons within the Parliament premises triggered uproar on Monday, with leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi raising the issue in the Lok Sabha and urging the Speaker to “free them from the cage”.
Later, in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, sources said Congress deputy leader in LS, Gaurav Gogoi, opposed the manner in which the media has been kept in a corner.Importantly, Gogoi is learnt to have also demanded that post-Covid restrictions on access of journalists to Parliament proceedings should be removed – seen as a reference to the limited issuance of passes to media houses.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is learnt to have said that a committee of political parties will be formed to look into the issue.
On Monday, the media was told to be confined to a designated enclosure, and barred from speaking to political leaders outside the Makar Dwar – the main entrance to the new parliament building – as has been the practice till now.
Besides raising the issue in LS, Rahul also visited the cabin (“cage”) of journalists to express solidarity, as did Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, among others.
Later, it was reported that Speaker Birla met a group of journalists and assured them that all their grievances would be addressed, with better facilities to be provided to them to discharge their duties.
Later, in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, sources said Congress deputy leader in LS, Gaurav Gogoi, opposed the manner in which the media has been kept in a corner.Importantly, Gogoi is learnt to have also demanded that post-Covid restrictions on access of journalists to Parliament proceedings should be removed – seen as a reference to the limited issuance of passes to media houses.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is learnt to have said that a committee of political parties will be formed to look into the issue.
On Monday, the media was told to be confined to a designated enclosure, and barred from speaking to political leaders outside the Makar Dwar – the main entrance to the new parliament building – as has been the practice till now.
Besides raising the issue in LS, Rahul also visited the cabin (“cage”) of journalists to express solidarity, as did Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, among others.
Later, it was reported that Speaker Birla met a group of journalists and assured them that all their grievances would be addressed, with better facilities to be provided to them to discharge their duties.
Source Agencies
