In the backdrop of the government preparing a content code for the electronic media, Information & Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi on Monday expressed his dissatisfaction with the way news channels were portraying the Rajasthan violence as though he “appealed” to them to play a role in keeping the society in Rajasthan united.
   Mr Dasmunsi, who held a meeting with news channel heads to discuss the way the Rajasthan incidents were being covered by the electronic media, later told reporters that while he “never” wanted to interfere with the Freedom of the Press, he had pointed out to the channels that some of them were repeatedly telecasting footage of incidents that had happened five days ago.
   “The media have the right to criticise the government and political parties, but at the same time it should play a constructive role for the larger interest of trade, commerce and people’s lives. Repeated telecast of five- day-old incidents is leading to violence spreading to areas where there was no problem at all,” he said.
   “I am being brutally frank. If a peace meeting was held, it was given only ten seconds on TV. But the media are repeatedly showing people who are indulging in violence,” he said, adding that the channel heads appreciated his apprehensions.
   He said the government was appealing to channels to play a constructive role in ending the violence, as they had done during the Mumbai train blasts and the Samjhauta Express blasts.
Concerns of the CWC 
   Meanwhile, wary of being viewed as taking sides in the sensitive situation in Rajasthan, The Congress Working Committee in its meeting on Monday appealed that the tension in the state must be defused immediately through negotiations.
   The CWC meet also passed a condolence resolution mourning the deaths in the violence.
   “The consensus was that tension must be defused immediately, peace must be established and a solution must be found through negotiations in a peaceful manner,” AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.
   The meeting, which was debriefed by Home Minister Shivraj Patil about the situation, said that the incidents were a cause of concern and added that “nobody should try to take political benefit” out of them.