CPM claims Doordarshan refused to air Tripura CM's speech, vows to fight 'undeclared Emergency'

New Delhi: The CPM on Tuesday alleged that Doordarshan refused to broadcast Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar’s speech and said it would fight this “undeclared Emergency”. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Doordarshan was “not the private property” of the BJP-RSS and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “instructing his cronies to black out voices” of the Opposition, including that of an elected chief minister. There were no immediate reaction from the Prasar Bharati, which runs Doordarshan and All India Radio. “Doordarshan refuses to broadcast Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar’s Speech. Is this the cooperative federalism that prime minister Modi talks about? Shame!” the CPM’s official Twitter handle said, without mentioning the speech of the prime minister but believed to be his Independence Day address.

Tagging the tweet, Yechury hit out at the central government saying the channel’s alleged refusal to air Sarkar’s speech was “illegal”. “PM can pay homilies to cooperative federalism while instructing his cronies to black out voices of the Opposition, including an elected CM(sic),” Yechury said in the tweet. “If this isn’t authoritarianism & undeclared Emergency, what is? This will be fought back by the CPM, people of Tripura and all our citizens,” the Marxist leader tweeted.