JOIN USSamajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan has asked Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar to rein in the radio jockeys, who mimic parliamentarians in a derogatory manner besides using double-meaning words and cracking objectionable jokes on air.
“Do you know what type of language the jockeys in private radio stations use and what type of jokes they share? They are absolutely objectionable and very bad,” Bachchan told the minister in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday during the Question Hour.
The 1970s actor who debuted in a Satyajit Ray film (Mahanagar) and later married Amitabh Bachchan, has many films to her credit, where radio and Aakash Vani had crucial roles in the story line. But the language used by new generation of radio jockeys is not to her liking.
“The latest thing is that they (the private FM channels) have started giving news of Parliament . And they mimic a lot of members of Parliament who have spoken. Are you going to do something about it? Because this is really not palatable,” she said.
The spat between Mulayam Singh and Mayawati notwithstanding, Bachchan received prompt support from Bahujan Samajwadi Party leader Satish Chandra Misra, who asked the minister whether he could take steps to stop use of filthy language on air. BJP’s Tarun Vijay, too, joined the cause.
Responding to her, Javadekar said it was a serious issue, on which the government would act.
“What she said is absolutely serious. We have an electronic media monitoring centre, which is looking into this. I will see its reports and quickly decide what action can be taken. This increasing trend (use of double meaning words or objectionable jokes) is not a right one,” he said.
The Union government is also considering news broadcast by private FM radio stations, provided the news clips are prepared by All India Radio.