Withdraw Doordarshan transfers, Siddaramaiah tells Centre

Karnataka's Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday urged Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur to withdraw the transfer of Doordarshan cameramen from Karnataka and other regional language centres to Hindi.

“Regional Doordarshan channels are dependent on camera crew for the content to cover regional issues & programs. Transferring camera crew to Delhi will lead to reduced programs in regional languages including Kannada,” Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.

“These transfers by the Ministry at the behest of BJP leaders are an attempt to promote Hindi & undermine all other languages. I urge Thakur to immediately withdraw the transfer & strengthen regional Kendras for the promotion of regional languages & content,” he said.

However, a Doordarshan source said Siddaramaiah must have been misled. “This is not at all a Hindi issue. All cameramen from the south have been transferred as part of an HR rationalization. Some of them are unhappy claiming that their tenure isn’t complete. Some have even moved CAT for a stay. But, the policy is to effect transfers every four years. The Bengaluru office was crowded anyway,” the source said.

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