Yanamala lodges complaint against Sakshi

Telugu Desam Party on Friday complained to the Press Council of India and other media regulatory bodies against the Sakshi TV channel and newspaper's "biased" reporting about the party and its president N Chandrababu Naidu.

In a two page letter to Press Council chairman, party politburo member and former speaker Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said that the daily reports aired by the channel were aimed at tarnishing the image of the Tdp and its president, who is a political opponent of YSR Congress party. He said that the publication had also not taken note of the rejoinders or clarifications issued by the Tdp against each of the allegations made by them.

Ramakrishnudu alleged that the Sakshi group had been misusing the immunity under Freedom of Press for all of their clandestine political and personal vilification of political opponents. The Tdp leader requested the media regulator to institute an enquiry into the misuse of freedom of press by Sakshi daily and news channel for political gains.

The Tdp leader also wanted the body to initiate a national debate on the need to regulate the phenomenon of media houses promoted and controlled by political parties and frame guidelines for their supervision in the interests of democracy.