Anti-democratic like Modi: Congress attacks Pinarayi Vijayan regime over case against journalist

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress veterans, including Opposition leader VD Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala slammed the CPM-led Pinarayi Vijayan regime on Sunday over the case against Asianet News reporter Akhila Nandakumar. 

According to Satheesan, the regime is adopting measures replicating the Sangh Parivar-backed Narendra Modi regime at the Centre to witch-hunt journalists. 

“This is unacceptable. If police pursue the case, the state will witness back-to-back protests,” he warned. He also targeted CPM state secretary MV Govindan.

Meanwhile, according to Chennithala, the case has been registered to keep the media tongue-tied. He termed the move anti-democratic and said the state government is following the same pursuit of Narendra Modi's regime to quell free speech. He also targeted the government over a forgery case in which a former SFI (CPM’s student organisation) leader has been booked. 

Kerala Police had registered a case against five persons including an Asianet News journalist based on a complaint by SFI state secretary PM Arsho in connection with the mark list controversy. The complaint against the journalist is that she propagated false news through social media and other means. The case has been registered under sections 120-B, 465, 469, and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 120(o) of the Kerala Police (KP) Act 2011 including criminal conspiracy, forgery and defamation.

In a related development, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hit out at a section of media houses in the state, saying they have been spreading "baseless lies" against the ongoing American Regional Conference of the Loka Kerala Sabha and creating a controversy out of nothing.

Addressing a gathering on Saturday after inaugurating the American Regional Conference of the Loka Kerala Sabha, a non-resident Keralites' convention in New York, Vijayan said such media houses were humiliating the state by spreading lies.

."Some people in our state have tried to create a controversy out of this conference. A section of media including a few which claims to have the largest circulation, were also part of this. One of the media houses even published an editorial and announced their sick mentality through it."

The regional conference of the Loka Kerala Sabha was marred by controversy after allegations cropped up that money was being charged from expatriates to stand or sit close to Vijayan during the three-day programme.

With ANI, PTI inputs