Congress demands funding details of 'biased' NaMo TV

The Gujarat Congress has demanded details from the state election commission regarding the sources of funding and expenses of NaMo TV, the channel named after chief minister Narendra Modi.

In its letter to Gujarat chief electoral officer Anita Karwal, Congress alleged that the channel was “misrepresenting” facts to show Union government in poor light.

“The channel is showing the Union government in poor light. Its source of funding, details about its expenses must be sought by the chief electoral officer to verify whether it violates the Model Code of Conduct or not. If it violates the Model Code of Conduct, the airing of the channel should be stopped immediately,” Congress election coordination committee chairman Babubhai Patel said.

Meanwhile, the convenor of BJP’s election legal cell Parindu Bhagat has also dashed a missive to Election Commission seeking a ban on advertisements by various ministries of the Congress-led UPA government in newspapers, All India Radio and Doordarshan (Girnar) in view of ensuring free and fair elections.

Meanwhile, Patel also requested the chief electoral officer to relax the cash limit beyond Rs 2.5 lakh in view of the festive season.

“We welcome the decision of the Election Commission that a person should produce documents if the amount is beyond Rs 2.5 lakh to prove its legality,” he said.

“However, the commission should take into account the difficulties faced by businessmen during this festive season and an amicable solution should be reached in this regard,” Patel added.

PTI