TDP MLC Babu Rajendra Prasad has made a mincemeat of Journalists’ association leaders for their ‘more than professional concern’ in backing Jagan and Sakshi. Addressing a press meet at NTR Bhavan on Friday, Rajendra Prasad was at his sarcastic best in his alleged expose of APUWJ leaders K Srinivas Reddy and D Amar.
Showing a picture of Srinivas Reddy speaking at Raj Bhavan after lodging a protest with the Governor over the ‘politically motivated’ action of the CBI, Rajendra Prasad pointed out that the late YSR’s cutouts were being prominently carried in the same rally.
“We understand that Srinivas Reddy owes a lot to YSR and he has every right to be his fan and follower. But how can the same rally carry placards ridiculing and targeting Chandrababu Naidu along with CBI and the leaders in the government? Whom are these unions supporting? Is it YSR and Jagan or press freedom,” he questioned.
The TDP leader also took on Sakshi’s claim that as many as 61,000 employees are dependent on the paper and TV channel. He asked Sakshi management to release the list of employees of Sakshi media houses who are paid salaries and provided provident fund. “This will prove Jagan’s self-claimed credibility and trustworthiness,” Prasad said.
Quoting from Srinivas Reddy’s writings in Visalandhra and his speeches in the context of Margadarsi issue, which contended that the press do not enjoy any special freedom or license to speech other than what individuals can claim, Rajendra Prasad said the same leaders were targeting TDP for saying practically the same thing.
He also said tongue firmly in cheek that once TDP came into power, the government would take over all the ill-gotten assets of Jagan and distribute the wealth among Sakshi employees and other journalists along with other deprived classes. He also demanded, rather sardonically, that the government should take over Sakshi management and hand over the same to ‘experienced journalists’ like Srinivas Reddy and Amar to protect its continued existence.
