CHANDIGARH, Jan 17 : The Punjab Kesari newspaper group on Saturday alleged that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab was spreading false narratives about it and its promoters, days after the media group wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claiming that it was targeted with multiple raids by enforcement authorities over its reportage.
In its fresh statement, the group said that “on 11, 12, 13 and 14 January, the group’s business of presses all over Punjab and one hotel in Jalandhar were subjected to harassment/inspections and reports by different departments”.
“All this to harass the management of the Punjab Kesari group in the belief that they will be able to muzzle the press,” it alleged, adding the management has taken legal steps in accordance with the law and the group will not succumb to pressure.
PTI tried to reach out to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its government for a reaction, but no response was available immediately.
The BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal have condemned the action against the media group, calling it an attack on press freedom and democracy.
On Saturday, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra termed as “anti-democratic” the Punjab police raids and called upon mediapersons to protest against the incident.
“Arvind Kejriwal cannot ever change. After moving out of Delhi’s Sheesh Mahal, he is now staying in Hawa Mahal in Punjab… Action was taken against the newspaper at the behest of Kejriwal,” Patra alleged at the party headquarters in Delhi.
On Thursday, the group wrote to the chief minister alleging that it was being targeted with multiple raids, events that it said began with a “balanced and fair” news report on the opposition’s allegations against Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP’s national convenor.
The group alleged these raids were made “with an extraneous motive to intimidate the press”.
The Punjab government had then rejected the allegation, noting that the claim was “an attempt to deflect attention from serious, recorded violations of law uncovered by multiple statutory authorities acting strictly within their legal mandate”.
On Saturday, the newspaper group claimed that the Punjab government has been targeting it to prevent the reporting of any news that is inconvenient to the ‘government’ — more so after October 31 last year, when the newspapers carried reports about the stay of AAP national convener in a state accommodation.
“Immediately after the news, the next few days saw state machinery being misused and delivery of Punjab Kesari and Jag Bani being obstructed. Delivery trucks were stopped so much so that the paper could not be distributed in some parts or deliveries were delayed till evening.
“When people started questioning the action of the Punjab government, in a desperate attempt to cover their misdeeds, a halfhearted and ragtag of an excuse was put forward that the government was checking newspaper delivery vans for drug/weapon smuggling, knowing fully well that it was false,” the group alleged.
When these “tactics” did not yield results, the government began applying economic pressure on the group and completely stopped issuing advertisements, it alleged.
The government “fell to a new low after January 9” after the newspaper “fairly” reported on a controversy stemming from a speech of Atishi, the AAP Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, it said.
The statement was signed by Vijay Kumar Chopra, Avinash Chopra, and Amit Chopra.
The group alleged that on January 11 to 14, its presses all over Punjab and one hotel in Jalandhar were subjected to “harassment/inspections and reports” by different departments.
It claimed that on January 15, nearly one hundred police personnel were sent to its printing press in Jalandhar when the press was closed. “The locks were broken, and police climbed the walls and beat up the few personnel on site. Allegedly, police presence was for the Pollution Control Board to do an inspection,” it alleged.
“(The) Public can see that the target is not pollution, but the target is freedom of expression,” it said.
The group alleged that the government was framing a false narrative that Punjab Kesari is doing the liquor business.
“(The) Chopra family in their ancestral city of Jalandhar have only built the Park Plaza Hotel. The hotel was built in Jalandhar to provide infrastructure for tourism and employment in their hometown,” it said.
Equating hotels to the liquor business is shameful, as serving alcohol to hotel guests is a small but necessary part of the hospitality business, it said and alleged that the authorities cancelled its liquor licences overnight in an abuse of power.
The liquor licences for the hotel have been issued in the tenure of the AAP government itself, said the group.
“Narrative building that liquor business is being done on the pretext of newspaper business is not only false but in fact shows the desperation of AAP to try and discredit the largest newspaper group and seems to have become a part of their standard operating procedure,” the group alleged.
It claimed that the pollution control board officials visited the hotel on January 13 and on that very day, without any opportunity of a hearing, “illegally” directed the disconnection of the electricity.
“Cancelling the licences overnight within one day, without any show cause notice on the alleged basis of some self-serving technical pleas is nothing but an abuse of power,” it alleged.
The AAP narrative “is totally false”, since, if the concern is the environment, then neither newspaper printing nor hotel is an inherently polluting industry, it said.
“Punjab Kesari group always endeavours to run the business with best practices, but even if any improvement is required, it can be made. What is the need to issue closure orders overnight without even giving notice of hearing by the Pollution Control Board,” the group said.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal has urged the governor to intervene “to stop the attack on the freedom of the press,” while Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma termed the state government action “a direct attack on democracy.” (PTI()
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