Govt should have no role but Press must have self checks: PM

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said there should be no government interference in the functioning of media but stressed on the importance of self-regulation in the sector.

“The press is responsible for upholding free-speech. The government should not have any interference in the working of the media,”the PM said. Recalling the period of emergency in India during Indira Gandhi’s rule, he added, “We remember how the press council ceased to exist during the Emergency. It was revived after Morarji Bhai became PM.”

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of freedom of speech, but noted that there must be limits.

“Freedom… freedom of expression needs to be followed, but there must be limits. Like a mother who tells her children not to eat too much,” he said.

Recently, the centre faced a lot of ire over its decision to ban the transmission of NDTV Hindi for a day over its coverage of Pathankot attack. The ban was then put on hold and the decision is being reviewed now.

Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of Press Council of India, the PM also expressed concern over recent murders of journalists, saying it was very “painful” and a “most dangerous” way of suppressing truth.

His remarks came against the backdrop of murder of two journalists in Bihar.

Referring to the Kandahar hijack in 1999, he said new channels’ roundthe-clock reportage of angry reactions of the families of passengers in the Indian Airlines flight emboldened the terrorists to think they can get anything from the Indian government with this kind of pressure.