‘Justice Katju has only reiterated views (on regulating media) that were there before’ by Archna Shukla

Archna Shukla: There is a growing perception that the government is
unhappy with media criticism. The editor of a leading English daily
publicly claimed that government advertisements have been stopped to his
publication. Is the government being vindictive?

I have seen no signs of vindictiveness. As for the government being
unhappy with the media, in recent months, we have had some pretty
out-of-the-ordinary movements in India…popular manifestations of the
citizens’ viewpoint. The issue of corruption has been taken up and there
is much support for it across the country. There was a feeling across
the political spectrum that the media was proactive. MPs felt that the
media had become part of the whole movement and was not as objective as
one expects an independent media to be. I did get quite a lot of flak:
people felt that maybe if the I&B ministry had been more proactive,
we could have prevented the media from writing or telecasting the
demonstrations, the speeches and whatever happened in the weeks since
April. But in all the time that I have been minister, I haven’t had any
directions from either the Prime Minister or the UPA chairperson for any
kind of control or restrictions on the media. The mandate I’ve had is
for self-regulation. We are all used to a free media in India. There is a
Press Council for regulating the print media; television doesn’t have a
regulatory body. So there is no vindictiveness…that is not the way
forward in the 21st century.

Coomi Kapoor: After the Anna Hazare campaign, a Group of Ministers
on media was formed. How has this group been operating and what is it
meant to do?

In UPA-1 and UPA-II, we have not had a
spokesperson for the council of ministers. Meanwhile, the dimensions of
ministries have grown…the flagship programmes have their own
complexities. No one can claim to be a proper spokesperson giving
detailed information in reply to the media’s searching questions. We
have been talking about this and at the end of April, when I did get a
chance to meet the PM and the UPA chairperson together, I said that one
of the reasons we can’t be actively engaged with the media is because no
one person can have the full information that they are seeking. That
led to the constitution of this group of seven ministers. We meet Monday
to Friday. We identify for the group the issues that could be raised by
the media. Then we take a call to respond to those—sometimes we hold a
press conference from among ourselves or ask a minister who is not a
part of our group to take the call.

Maneesh Chhibber: Justice Katju, as Press Council Chairman, is
seeking more powers and also wants to regulate TV. Isself-regulation
working in the case of TV?

Justice Katju is an eminent jurist
and till very recently a Supreme Court judge, known for his frank
talking. I think he has been a little misjudged: if you look at Press
Council of India records, similar suggestions have been made by his
predecessor, Justice G N Ray. Some of his suggestions like renaming the
Press Council as the Media Council came up at an Editors’ Guild seminar
two years ago. There was a suggestion, in writing, that the electronic
media should be brought into the fold, especially on advertisements.
These have been there for a long time. It’s just that he has articulated
them again and because he has been given a platform, and he is
eminently qualified to speak on them… you are suddenly sitting up and
taking notice. As early as January 2011, the government constituted, at
the I&B’s request, a GoM headed by Pranab Mukherjee to look into the
report on paid news. There was a suggestion to empower the Press
Council further. In 2009, we had a debate in the Rajya Sabha. Most
political leaders spoke of empowering the Press Council. We at I&B
felt that any such steps should have a consensual approach across the
political platform. So I think Justice Katju has reiterated the views
that were there before.

Archna Shukla: There is a perception that Justice Katju’s
appointment was managed by the government. His name was announced
immediately after he retired from the Bench.

The government
doesn’t come into the picture at all while appointing the Chairman of
the Press Council. It’s a selection group headed by the Vice President
of India, the Lok Sabha Speaker and an elected member from within the
Press Council. Traditionally, the post has gone to a retired Supreme
Court judge. They chose Justice Katju for his eminence and his frank
talking.

The television industry is still young—400 or 500 channels have come
up in the last 3-4 years, and today, we have about 700 channels, roughly
half of them news channels. In today’s day and time, the new media
tools, the social media, are so powerful that there’s no way you can
control them. There was an attempt made in 2002 with the Convergence
Bill but it was so cumbersome that it was given up. So the best way
forward would be to sensitise the media, the anchors, reporters, etc. At
the same time, there has been movement on what we would like to see and
what we would not like to see: there’s digitisation, watershed hours,
adult content from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., parental locks on television
channels, etc. These are all ways forward. Anything done by force I
don’t think is to anyone’s advantage.

Rakesh Sinha: When do you start the digitisation of TV and does it begin with the metros?

We
got it cleared by the Cabinet, there was an ordinance. It has a
mandatory six-month period for people to put theirthingsin place.
Metros that were to go digital by the first of March will do it by June
30, 2012. After December 31, 2014, there will be no analog. Initially
cable operators were reluctant. Now they realise that there are a
million DTH connections a month so it would be unviable to carry on like
this if they don’t modernise and go digital.

Archna Shukla: Justice Katju is saying give me teeth to bare, not
to bite. Do you think the Press Council should preside over the
electronic media?

It’s not his thinking only. Justice Sawant
and Justice Ray had given us these suggestions on quite a few occasions.
They felt the need for more power, especially in the wake of the paid
news phenomenon. Justice Ray and now Justice Katju feel that if they do
find people culpable of paid news, for instance, what can they do with
them? Maybe in their wisdom, after discussions in the Press Council,
they arrived at these suggestions which they sent to the government and I
put them before a GoM. So let’s see what the GoM decides.

Pranab Dhal Samanta: When the government was going through what
many call the crisis of perception, the spotlight was on the I&B
ministry. There seems to be a need for a more aggressive role for the
I&B ministry so that you have greater access to decisions the
government takes and can convey it in a certain way. Then you have
issues like the Prasar Bharati, where the I &B ministry feels quite
toothless. How do you see your own ministry—its limitations, its role
and its future?

I personally feel the I&B has been an add-on in the portfolio of a
minister. It’s been more of a ministry of PR. I&B does not have an
economic intent because the film industry is independent and television
is also private. Though the media and entertainment sector is one of the
fastest growing sectors of the Indian economy, I&B is not a member
of the CCEA. Most of the areas where I&B is supposed to be a
facilitator are autonomous, like Prasar Bharati. We play a small role
there. Look at the CAG report on CWG. It felt that I&B did not do
enough to prevent the Prasar Bharati from committing its acts of
commission. But I&B has no role in that. I know The Indian Express
is a strong proponent of the idea that to cut down the expenses of the
Government of India, wind up I&B.

Manu Pubby: There is a boom in FM radio. Why is the government reluctant about opening it up for news?

We
are now on the threshold of the first phase of the three-phase auction
of FM radio. This will take radio stations to about 800-900. In cities
with a lakh plus population, we have FM radio. Now we have increased the
content for FM radio. News is being allowed for the first time, sports
commentary, weather andmany other subjects other than just film music.
There were a lot of private players who wanted free news. But on these
matters, the main clearance comes from the ministry of home affairs for a
security point of view. They felt that at the moment it was best to
allow only Akashvani news, not agency-based or free news. They feel that
in the border areas of our country, signal ranges are not yet within
the security reach of the home ministry. In today’s political and
security conditions, I wouldn’t argue with home Ministry on security
perceptions.

Coomi Kapoor: How is it that in a disciplined party like the
Congress, spokespersons speak in different voices and some unofficial
spokespersons speak in a completely different voices, like Mr Digvijay
Singh?

Mr Digvijay Singh is general secretary of the Congress party and is
an extremely senior leader. He speaks on certain subjects and much of
that is part of the party’s ideology and thinking. I don’t see the
contradiction because I haven’t heard anyone contradicting his
statements.

Coomi Kapoor: He has taken a much stronger line on Team Anna than the rest of the party.

No,
that’s not true. There are people who have taken a stronger line.
Everybody has spoken of the need for a strong Lokpal. I don’t think any
spokesperson of the party or the government has said that they don’t
feel that the fight against corruption is not important. This was
emphasised at the Burari session of the AICC, much before Team Anna came
on the scene. Mrs Gandhi went to the extent of asking us to identify,
as ministers, the perks, the patronage avenues for each ministry. Then
there was a committee, a GoM headed by Pranab Mukherjee, that took a
call on that. After legislating RTI, the government has time and again
emphasised on the need for transparency and accountability, even when we
were in Opposition.

*Kaushal Shroff: With the digitisation of cable TV, around 90
million consumers will be affected adversely, in terms of the
expenditure on set top boxes, etc. Cable services may become more
expensive. Do you think digitisaton will affect the rural consumer as
well?

Not at all. You will be surprised that a million DTH connections are
being taken every month—that means they are in the rural areas already.
If you travel, you will see those little DTH dishes in rural areas. The
numbers are going to reduce the cost of the set top boxes. TRAI also
decided that these can be hired. We are going to have inter-portability.
The tariff will not be more than Rs 150 a la carte choice. They will be
fixing the price of each channel. So the consumer is going to be the
principal beneficiary of this.

Amitabh Sinha: What are the chances of the Lokpal Bill getting passed in the winter session of Parliament?

We
have said we want a strong Lokpal. Time and again, we have saidthat we/> want it in the winter session. The Chairman of the Standing Committee
has said that it should be ready by the end of November, beginning of
December. When my party has said that it wants a strong Lokpal, it will
do everything in its power to see that it is passed. But every party
will have to take an individual undertaking.

Amitabh Sinha: Is there a realistic chance of having it passed in one session?

The
Standing Committee will send its recommendations to the Cabinet. The
Cabinet will decide whether to accept it in toto, or whether there are
any changes or amendments to be made. It will take a final call and then
send it to Parliament as a Bill. Then it will be discussed. I have
known Bills to be passed quickly. It depends on the parliamentarians.
All the parties have to take a call. The Anna Hazare team says that all
the parties have given it to them in writing that they will pass the
Bill…so then they will pass it.

Maneesh Chhibber: You face assembly elections in Punjab next year.
You are an MP from Punjab. What are the chances of the Congress
returning to power in the state? Is Capt Amarinder Singh your choice for
chief minister?

The ground reality in Punjab is that people in rural areas and in
urban areas are hard-pressed looking for a way out from the present
regime. This is not only a political statement but a fact. Look at how
the position of Punjab has gone down in the last five years. It’s a pity
because it was a state that was always considered progressive. There
has been no investment. Agriculture has not seen an improvement. On the
leadership issue, Amarinder Singh is the president of state Congress
party and I personally feel convinced that he is the best leader for
Congress to take us to victory in February 2012.

Archna Shukla: What is your opinion of the Shunglu report on CWG?
It has, allegedly, statements and factually incorrect data and figures
and information.

Well, a high-powered committee was appointed
by the Prime Minister to look into it, so I don’t want to comment on
that per se. But all that I learn from my colleagues, secretary
downwards, is that the Shunglu Committee didn’t interact at all with any
of us while they were inquiring into issues that concern all of us.
There was no effort made to contact anybody in the ministry. So some of
us did feel that they were in too great a hurry to give the report.

Transcribed by Dipankar Ghose
*Students of Express Institute of Media Studies (EXIMS)