The Congress on Monday termed the telecast of the programme on Saakshi television — owned by rebel MP Jaganmohan Reddy — portraying Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in poor light as a “serious issue” even as it dithers on whether to initiate any action against him or not.
The Union law minister and general secretary in-charge of the state, Veerappa Moily while interacting with reporters said, “It’s a serious issue.” When asked if the high command had received the report of the state unit, Mr Moily answered in the affirmative. “Yes, the report has come.” But he refused to answer a specific query on whether any action would be initiated against Mr Reddy.
Senior leader and Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad described such portrayal as unacceptable. “These kind of personal attacks are unacceptable,” said Mr Azad.
Later, senior Rajya Sabha MP Hanumantha Rao decried the telecast of the programme and went on to add that such programmes cannot be aired on Saakshi television as it belongs to the Congress. He added that many lower rung Congress leaders from the state have a stake in Saakshi television. “Many leaders at the lower-level have invested money in Saakshi. Therefore, it belongs to the Congress and such programmes cannot be aired,” said Mr Rao. He demanded the removal of late Andhra chief minister Y.S. Rajasekara Reddy’s image from the screen of Saakshi television as he is a Congress leader. When asked if he condemned Mr Jaganmohan Reddy for the telecast, Mr Rao said, “If I criticise Jagan, then his supporters might think that I am trying to throw him out of the party.”
A section within the party feels that any immediate action against Mr Jaganmohan Reddy may not be in the interest of the party, especially when the Srikrishna report on Telangana is to be submitted to the Union government in a month’s time.