Hyderabad: The Congress party on Wednesday, November 29 filed a complaint against Namaste Telangana publications and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in place for the Assembly elections on Thursday, November 30.
The party said that all pages and news items in the Namaste Telangana newspaper are “in favour of the BRS and are violating the guidelines.”
“Kind attention is invited to today’s editions of Namaste Telangana publications in which every page and item influencing the voter in favour of the ruling BRS party are brazenly published violating the guidelines of ECI and PCI in this regard, The aim of the media group is to arouse emotions in favour of ruling BRS party which is against the canons of fair elections,” TPCC leader G Niranjan said, in his complaint directed to Telangana chief election officer (CEO) Vikasraj.
Niranjan further said that time and again the party has been on record requesting the CEO, Telangana, to issue notices and “book the expenditure proportionately to all BRS candidates” from day one of nomination filing.
“It is shocking that MCMC/DCMS committees have allowed this illegality without restraining the media group nor accounting for it under Paid News,” he remarked.
He highlighted the guidelines issued to the print media by the Press Council of India to follow for observance during the election: “It will be the duty of the Press to give objective reports about elections and the candidates. The newspapers are not expected to indulge in unhealthy election campaigns, exaggerated reports about any candidate/party or incident during the elections”.
The TPCC leader demanded the CEO, ECI, Telangana, and the Central Election Commission in New Delhi to book all the news items of Namaste Telangana as ‘paid news’ and apportion the expenditure and “restrain, at least now, to comply with ECI/PCI guidelines forthwith.”
The counting of votes is scheduled for December 3.
