THE first anniversary of Nava Telangana, Telugu daily was celebrated at a function organised at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram in Hyderabad on March 21. In this connection, a seminar on ‘Civil Society and the Role of Media’ was held which was presided over by S Veeraiah, editor of Nava Telangana and member of the Central Committee of the CPI(M). Justice K Chandru, retired judge of the Madras High Court, and editors and former editors of several newspapers participated in the seminar. Participating as the chief guest, Justice Chandru recollected his contact as a student with Comrade P Sundarayya, former general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), 45 years back and how the armed struggle of the Telangana peasants inspired him. When Comrade Sundarayya passed away in Madras, the press there did not highlight it, but after bringing his body to Andhra Pradesh, from Sullurpet onwards he saw lakhs of people lined up to have a last glimpse of the departed leader, Justice Chandru recollected.

The BJP government at the centre is a government of intolerance, specialised in intolerance, which aims at dividing people on the basis of fascist ideology, Justice Chandru criticised. The Modi government has become a threat to free press, free ideas and free society, he said.  Referring to the outburst of the prime minister that he cannot tolerate opposition to nationalism, Justice Chandru pointed out that Modi cannot tolerate secularism and democratic rule.

The Indian Penal Code enacted by the then British rulers in the year 1860 was used by the colonial rulers to jail freedom fighters, including the Left leaders, suppress the movement for the country’s independence and muzzle the press, he recollected. There was a demand for repealing Section 124-A (sedition) of the IPC during the independence movement. The very same provision is being used today by the BJP government to threaten the opposition and also the students in leading universities, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, having found it difficult to suppress the leading ideological movement there, Justice Chandru said. This notorious provision has led to a nationwide debate on of its continuance after the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar of JNU. During the internal emergency of 1975-77, leading opposition leaders were arrested and newspapers were subjected to severe censorship, he recollected. During the emergency, the then prime minister Indira Gandhi had the support of the police and a few Congress leaders, but the difference today is that ideological and communal brigades are working for the Modi government, which is worse than the government during the emergency, Justice Chandru explained. The fundamental right to express ourselves is subjected to serious restrictions, he said and cautioned that restrictions on freedom of speech of the people are a threat to democracy.

Utterly disillusioned, Dr B R Ambedkar resigned from the Congress and the cabinet, announced that though he was born as a Hindu, he would not die as a Hindu, and converted himself, along with millions of people, to Buddhism, Justice Chandru recollected. Ambedkar said that he did not borrow the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity from the French revolution but from Buddhism and the same found place in the Indian constitution. Denying what Ambedkar had said, the BJP is talking of ghar vapasi to engulf the people under its wider communal ideology, Justice Chandru said. Accusing the BJP of double speak, Justice Chandru asked whether the prime minister has understood the teachings of Dr B R Ambedkar, one of the tallest leaders of the country. The saffron brigades backed by the Sangh Parivar are not only monitoring what was published in the media and what was discussed in the educational institutions, but also going after leading personalities who stood for free speech and secularism and brutally murdered tall leaders like Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi in the last two years, Justice Chandru criticised. The BJP has taken up the task of converting the leading universities as their experimental laboratories for saffronising education and have become thought police, he said. In this connection, he referred to the suicide of Rohith Vemula of Hyderabad Central University and said he belonged to the entire sub-continent. Rohith’s death awakened many people in the entire India to think whether the country has no future for young people and Hyderabad became a symbol of future hope, Justice Chandru said.

New intolerance to attack the press is growing and there is direct attack on newspapers in Tamil Nadu and courts also are impinging on press freedom, Justice Chandru said explaining several instances and pointed out that 150 cases were filed against newspapers in Tamil Nadu for the reason that they had exposed the chief minister and some of the ministers. To protect civil liberties, including freedom of the press, a permanent mechanism is required, he suggested. The media houses and electronic media channels are owned and controlled by big business houses, politicians or dubious elements. Hence, they will go to any extent in pushing a news item to suit their business and public interest content of news items are pushed to the background and the commercial and political gains have been brought to the front, he said. He asked the media to play a meaningful role, with public interest as their watchword. He exhorted the media to expose the pernicious ideology and double speak of the BJP and Sangh Parivar and show a spirit of scientific enquiry.  Justice Chandru hoped that Nava Telangana would play that role.

V Srinivasa Rao, former editor of Prajasakti and a member of the central secretariat of the CPI(M), said that Nava Telangana inherits the legacy of the history  and struggles of Prajasakti and hoped that it would carry on those sacrifices, efforts and ideals. He said the press has a responsibility to reflect aspirations of the people of Telangana and stay in the forefront in the struggle for protecting their rights. Nava Telangana should continue this effort, he said. Compared to print media and electronic media, the social media is very democratic. It provides the opportunity to share one’s views with others.  It also acts as a catalyst in the struggles as can be seen internationally and nationally. Asking the media to stand against communal forces and for protection of democracy, Srinivasa Rao hoped that Nava Telangana would play that role.

Paturu Ramayya, editor of Prajasakti and member of the Central Committee of the CPI(M), said Nava Telangana is running with the aim of standing on the side of the people and moving them on progressive path. There is a need for the media to stand against the attempts of the ruling classes to depoliticise civil society, he said.

S Veeraiah, in his presidential remarks, said media has been considered as the fourth estate, because of its role in questioning the rule of kings and feudalism in the past and being useful for encouraging the people to plunge in movements against the same. There is a need for the media for retaining that name by standing for the interests of the people, he said.

Editor of Namaste Telangana K Sekhar Reddy, editor of Mana Telangana K Srinivasa Reddy, editor of Surya P Ramamurthy, former editors of Prajasakti S Vinay Kumar and Telakapalli Ravi participated in the seminar.

In the evening, presiding over the function celebrating the first anniversary, S Veeraiah explained that during the one year of its purposeful existence, Nava Telangana has been running overcoming several difficulties, with the support of its readers, commitment and efforts of its staff and help of its well-wishers and it would march forward. While Nava Telangana has inherited the legacy of Prajasakti, it is being run with almost a new team, he said.

Chief Guest and chairman of Press Academy of Telangana Allam Narayana said in the name of patriotism and nationalism, disruptive forces are trying to divide the country and are subservient to the vested interests of the corporate sector, and media has been trying to manufacture consent in favour of these disastrous policies of the government. To fight against the disruptive forces and such tendencies of the corporate media, newspapers like Nava Telangana should reach people in large numbers, he said.

Eminent educationist and former MLC Chukka Ramaiah, participating as a special chief guest, said that for running newspapers like Nava Telangana a sense of sacrifice is required. He recollected the kind of difficulties faced by Visalandhra at the time of Police action in the wake of the heroic armed struggles of the Telangana peasants and subsequently by Prajasakti, and asserted that the people protect such newspapers who stand by them and called upon the Nava Telangana to continue to tread on that path. 10 TV managing director Venugopal, novelists Ampasayya Naveen and Mudigonda Sujatha and others participated in the function.

V HanumanthaRao, who joined Prajasakti in 1945 and started his illustrious journalistic career covering  the proceedings of the first parliament, and even now is contributing articles at the ripe age of 90 years, veteran editor Potturi Venkateswara Rao and senior journalist Akhileswari were felicitated on the occasion. Cartoonist of Nava Telangana Narsim was presented Chandrasekhar Memorial Award.  Winners of Vattikota Alwarswami writings were presented prizes.