Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh has been undermining the voice of the media by booking cases against them when they are reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, said BJP leader Lanka Dinakar on Thursday.
"The YSRCP government is violating the freedom of speech and expression as provided in Article 19 and 21 of the Constitution by booking cases against print and electronic media houses. They have been covering the news in the interest of the public, most particularly when the coronavirus cases on average have crossed 10,000 per day at present," Dinakar said.
The BJP leader further cited a case where the YSRCP government acted against a TV channel for reporting the death of a headmaster due to COVID-19.
"Recently, a headmaster of the ZP School in the Nellore district had released a video on his miserable conditions after infection of coronavirus to appeal to the government and he died subsequently, the same video had been telecasted on a TV channel along with other media houses. But Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government purposefully targeted the MD and Newsreader by filing a case against them," he said.
"Is it a way to treat the media? The same media channel was targeted a few months back by filing a case against a moderator of the channel and the chairman though High Court had questioned the acts of the government. The Jagan Mohan Reddy government is acting unconstitutionally," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )