Telangana CM's comments on media highly objectionable: Katju

Press Council of India (PCI) Chairperson Justice (retd) Markandey Katju today termed the reported comments made by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao with regard to the media as "highly objectionable and totally unacceptable in a democracy".

In a statement, the former Supreme Court judge said that it is reported that Rao recently stated that he would break the necks and bury the media 10 kilometres underground, in response to some alleged derogatory remarks made against some MLAs by a certain regional Telugu TV channel.

Katju said that if indeed such derogatory remarks were made by the TV channel, they were improper, and the media should desist from using such remarks.

The PCI chairperson, however, said that he had been informed that the TV channel which allegedly made the derogatory remarks has repeatedly apologised for doing so, on their TV channel, through DTH service as well as in letters to the Speaker of the Telangana Assembly and all Telangana MLAs.

"However, as a reaction to these remarks of the TV channel, it is reported that the Chief Minister of Telangana has, from a public platform, stated that he will break the necks and bury the media 10 kilometers underground, if anybody tries to denigrate or hurt the self-respect of Telangana, its Legislative Assembly, or its culture.

"What kind of language is this?" Katju asked. He said that this kind of language used by the Chief Minister for the media is "highly offensive, totally unwarranted and most inappropriate".

"This statement of a Chief Minister is, in my opinion, highly improper, highly objectionable and totally unacceptable in a democracy, particularly since it is coming from a person holding a high constitutional office," Katju said.