New Delhi, May 19: Opposition leaders Sitaram Yechury and G. Devarajan were instructed to avoid terms like ‘Muslims’ and ‘bankruptcy’ in their All India Radio and Doordarshan speeches on April 16, as reported by the Indian Express.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury was required to replace the term ‘bankruptcy’ with ‘failure’ during his televised address at the Doordarshan studio in New Delhi. Meanwhile, All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) leader G. Devarajan was directed to avoid using the term ‘Muslims’ in his speech recorded in Kolkata. Instead, he had to refer to the group as a ‘particular community’ while discussing the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Prasar Bharati, which oversees both broadcasters, explained to the Indian Express that they must adhere to the Election Commission’s conduct rules, which mandate such alterations. An official mentioned that these corrections are common and applied to speeches from most leaders.
This directive comes amid a backdrop of widespread concern about the nature of political discourse. Despite unprecedented levels of hate speech from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders being broadcast directly on news channels, the Election Commission has not acted on repeated pleas from opposition leaders to address these remarks.
The guidelines for public speeches stipulate that speakers should avoid criticizing specific communities, religions, countries, or individuals and should not cast aspersions on the judiciary or the president. Interestingly, Yechury noted that the Hindi version of his speech was accepted without any modifications.
These developments highlight the tensions and scrutiny surrounding political communication in the lead-up to elections, reflecting broader concerns about freedom of speech and the impartiality of regulatory bodies.
