The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on November 5.

THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the order of the central government to ban the Hindi news channel, NDTV India, from going on air for a day on November 9. This is a brazen attack on media freedom and an attempt to gag freedom of expression. It reveals the increasingly authoritarian attitude of the Modi government.

The CPI(M) demands the immediate withdrawal of the ban order and an assurance from the government that such arbitrary actions will not be undertaken in the future.