'MCDs have barred media from recording House proceedings'

New Delhi: Alleging that the BJP-led MCD is misleading the people and is threatening the very tenets of democracy, the Aam Aadmi Party has launched an attack on the civic body by stating that their latest order to not allow journalists to record the House proceedings is a 'Tughlaqi Farman'.

AAP chief spokesperson and MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the South and East MCD for banning reporters from recording the House proceedings on October 27. South MCD Mayor Mukesh Suryan had announced that no recordings are allowed during the meeting and if anyone is found recording their devices can be confiscated during the proceedings on Wednesday.

Bharadwaj condemning these orders said that this is yet another move by the BJP to mislead people and keep the public in the dark about their misdeeds. He said that "BJP stomping down upon the freedom of press; bars journalists from recording MCD sessions to keep the public in the dark about their misdeeds." Further adding "Stonewalling of reporters from the MCD a blatant attack on the fundamentals of democracy by the BJP; shameful that they have the guts to do this in independent India."

The MLA spoke about how this is one of the latest tyrannical orders by the BJP and then stressed upon the fact that all Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha sessions are aired without fail. He said "The BJP led South Delhi Municipal Corporation issued a 'Tughlaqi Farman' concerning its House proceedings yesterday. This stated that no reporter is allowed to record or live stream any of its House proceedings. This kind of tyrannical order has also been issued by East Delhi MCD prohibiting both in House reporting/live telecasting. It is extremely appalling, for be it Lok Sabha or Delhi Vidhan Sabha, it is standard procedure for the proceedings to be reported live, to be made available to the public."

Responding to the allegations, East MCD Mayor Shyam Sundar Agarwal told Millennium Post that we allow recording in the House, in fact we have cameras there already. If AAP is saying that we are prohibiting, then they should show what orders they are talking about also. We record the entire proceeding ourselves.

Bharadwaj added that if the BJP-led MCD is not letting any journalist record or live stream the House proceedings, then it definitely raises questions about the contents of the proceedings. Calling the move suspicious, he said it implies that the BJP is up to no good and wants to hide the truth from the people.