Congress demands channel to telecast Madhya Pradesh Assembly proceedings

BHOPAL: Opposition Congress today demanded setting up of a dedicated TV channel to telecast live the proceedings of Madhya Pradesh Assembly. Such a channel can be set up on the lines of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV, Leader of Opposition in Assembly and Congress legislator Satyadev Katare said here.

"The people of the country have the facility to watch live the proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. On the same lines, Vidhan Sabha should also have its own dedicated channel so that citizens of the state get an opportunity to watch live the Assembly's proceedings," he told PTI.

Terming the Assembly Speaker Sitasharan Sharma as a man of "progressive thoughts", Katare said he was hopeful that the channel would be launched during his tenure. Referring to the formation of a 'shadow Cabinet' by Congress in the BJP-ruled state, the Opposition leader said it had been constituted to keep a tab on the functioning of different ministries and seek accountability from the government.

"The constitution of a shadow Cabinet (in MP) is the first experience of its kind in the country. Similar attempts made earlier by the Opposition in Goa, Delhi, Maharashtra and Punjab had proved futile," Katare said.

The Congress has made its MLAs, both junior and senior, in-charge of ministries/departments and asked them to keep a track of their functioning and ensure that people's problems are solved, he said.

"This will also give them (MLAs) an opportunity to keep themselves in tune with the functioning of the House as well as various ministries and help them shape their future."

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) will also organise special orientation programmes for junior and first-time MLAs, Katare said. Senior legislators like Ajay Singh, Bala Bachchan, M S Kalukheda, Arif Aqeel, KP Singh, Govind Singh, Ramniwas Rawat, Mukesh Nayak and Sunderlal Tiwari are not part of the Cabinet and they will be drafted for providing guidance to inexperienced MLAs in dealing with specific issues, he said.