DD broadcast of RSS speech was just professionalism: Javadekar

Nagpur: Defending Doordarshan’s live telecast of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s address on Dussehra, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javdekar today said the Government wanted to instill professionalism. The hour-long broadcast on 3 October was the first time the channel live telecast an RSS function, and had stoked a row with Congress and CPI(M) attacking the government for “misuse” of the state broadcaster while BJP defended it saying RSS genuinely contributed to patriotism and always patronized a ‘justice to all’ philosophy. “Doordarshan is an autonomous organization and we want to instill professionalism. Therefore, there is nothing wrong and no interference in its functioning,” Javdekar said in reply to a question at a press conference here today. [caption id=“attachment_1742857” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] AFP[/caption] Dismissing criticism by the Congress and Left parties over the issue, he said, “We have lifted the ban on DD.” Javadekar also questioned why the RSS function had not been telecast live all these years. “When other private channels are also showing live the annual speech of RSS Sarsanghchalak Bhagwat, what is wrong in DD also showing it?,” he asked. RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat had in his annual Vijaya Dashami speech, described Hindutva as the country’s “national identity” and spoke about the “thread of unity” running through its diversities. He also praised the Narendra Modi government for initiatives on national security, economy and international relations in a short period of four months. On BJP’s prospects in the October 15 Maharashtra Assembly elections, he said the state would follow the national trend and predicted an absolute majority for the BJP, but did not specify any numbers. To a question on why BJP was not projecting a chief ministerial nominee in the polls, when it had projected Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, Javdekar said there was no dearth of candidates and the leader would be chosen during a meeting of elected MLAs.