“I am terminated from my channel Aaj Tak (India Today Group) for writing these two tweets on Prime Minister Modi,” tweeted journalist Shyam Meera Singh on July 19, 2021 after his removal for allegedly violating the media house’s social media and code of conduct policies.

On July 18, Singh received a letter from the ITG Digital Vanchha Garg that talked about how he was unable to follow the guidelines he signed and accepted at the time of his employment.

“You are well versed with ITG’s Social Media and Code of Conduct policies which specifically advise us to use social media for news that has been published or aired by the system and not for personal views. Besides being alerted on other breaches, you have received at least two formal warnings. Yet, the attached recent tweets show repeat transgressions,” said the letter sent by HR Business Partner Vanchha Garg.

The two tweets published by Singh are as follows:

I am terminated from my channel Aaj Tak (India Today Group) for writing these two tweets on Prime minister Modi. pic.twitter.com/L6JRlC3RDi

— Shyam Meera Singh (@ShyamMeeraSingh) July 19, 2021

Despite the sudden firing, Singh accepted the action in good humour, even sporting the words “Journalist, terminated from Aaj Tak” in his social media bio. Further, he dedicated the letter to his belated friend and renowned photojournalist Danish Siddiqui.

People dedicate their degrees, research papers to their Ideals. I have nothing to show but a termination letter from my company IndiaToday, So I want to dedicate my termination letter to my beloved friend Danish Siddiqui, who martyred in Afghanistan.

— Shyam Meera Singh (@ShyamMeeraSingh) July 19, 2021

If speaking against Modi equal speaking against India, then throw me in jail

Speaking to SabrangIndia, Singh said that he was well aware about the guidelines that barred personal views on social media. The guidelines demanded views that spoke in line with the content and voice of the organisation. Regardless, he decided to speak his mind. When asked about his view of such restrictions, he compared them to a bird who has wings but risks having them cut off if it tries to fly. Still, he did not blame the ITG for his termination.

“I consider my fight a fight of the company as well. I don’t blame anybody or any company. Instead, I question the system that has forced my termination on such grounds. That system is the Prime Minister, his government and his IT cell,” said Singh.

When asked whether he considered his removal, a violation of his fundamental rights, Singh said, “Definitely! While preparing for IAS, I studied freedom of speech. The Article makes any law that infringes on free speech null and void, even laws of a private company. Even if I sign a document saying otherwise, the real culprit is the maker of such a policy, not me.” 

As for reasonable restrictions, he said that if criticising Modi was the same as threatening the security of the State or any similar clause, then we will gladly accept further legal proceedings. On his own part however, he is not keen on taking up legal action.

“I was well aware of what company I was working for. But I did this to put on record what is happening and how our democratic rights are being handled. If a journalist cannot criticise his own Prime Minister, then you can imagine the state of citizens in that country,” he said.

Incidentally, this is what Modi had to say about government criticism two years ago.

I want this Government to be criticised. Criticism makes democracy strong: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 18, 2018

Singh also emphasised that he expressed his views, not as a journalist but as a citizen who saw his family and kin suffer during the Covid-19 health crisis.

“I watched my own family members die during Covid-19. At this time, I feel every citizen should criticise the government as I have done. Even the company should have supported me but it didn’t. Anyway, I have done my duty as an Indian citizen,” he said.

Singh said he considered the recent incident an attack on the rights of his company as well.

Free speech in corporate media

A few months ago, India Today’s Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai also suffered a similar fate. He was taken off-air between January and February for two weeks for publishing a tweet on the farmer’s protest. His tweet that spoke of the alleged killing of farmer Navneet at ITO during the January 26 Farmers’ Parade also cost him a month’s salary.

Later, he even posted a video stating that “farm protesters’ allegations don’t stand.” Despite this, BJP leader Amit Malviya and many other right-wingers on social media called for Sardesai’s firing. Malviya even called him a “repeat offender.”

Do Indians truly have free speech?

Article 19 of the Constitution grants freedom of speech and expression to all Indian citizens. But Singh said that though people have free speech, the issue is the topic of the speech.

“There is free speech in India. People have a right to criticise Dalits, insult or attack IAS officers, abuse Rahul Gandhi or other political leaders but they do not have the right to demand their rights,” he said.

Related:

Why are so many people mourning Danish Siddiqui?
Gurugram Court denies bail to ‘Jamia Shooter’ in a Hate Speech case
Shashi Tharoor, Rajdeep Sardesai and other scribes charged with sedition for ‘fake news’
How the Delhi HC gave a fitting reply to criminalisation of dissent and protest

The post I did my duty as an Indian: Shyam Meera Singh on his removal from Aaj Tak appeared first on SabrangIndia.

You started your interview by saying that you are going to have an apolitical interview. You have every right to do that. You can ask every stupid question under the sky – pattern of eating mangoes, bank balance, process of dealing with cold, wish from djinn of Aladdin’s lamp, sleep hours, desire for becoming PM, anger management, valuable things held by PM inside the house, pattern of styling, style of wearing watch and sleep hours.

But contrary to what you said, you are only playing politics. Through your interview you only wanted to convey the message to the people for them to turn away from the reality and see an apolitical Modi. You wanted to convey – Let things be what it is. Let things happen the way it happens. Let us not worry about issues – Jobs, Unemployment, Poverty, Demonetisation, GST, Rafael, Corruption, Women safety, Lynching’s, Communalisation, etc. Let us forget that there are elections and there are issues to think and bother about. Let us forget that the Prime Minister is to be questioned on these fronts. Let us just see the personal life of the Prime Minister, away from the Political life.

It is true that you are not one of those who has been affected by the policies of the Prime Minister. Whether it is Demonetisation, GST, Lynching’s, intolerance and growing communal environment. But if you are sensitive enough to your own industry, you would have realised that even the well-established popular and respected actors in your own industry are feeling at the environment that has grown in the last 5 years – whether it is Amir Khan, Shahrukh Khan or Nasiruddin Shah. If their situation is like that, imagine the situation of normal minorities. You could have at-least asked the Prime Minister about the growing sense of insecurity among the Minorities in the country taking a cue from your own industry.

You rather seemed to display the Bhakt in you and use your celebrity status to strengthen and continue the Bhakt narrative around the Prime Minister. You wanted to show the Prime Minister as a simple humble and saintly person – as a person from poor family who struggled even to buy mangoes, a simple person who wanted to become a saint or sainik, someone who sleeps less or works hard, someone who left family for doing something great for the nation. You also wanted to show how the Prime Minister controls his anger, is friendly towards opponents, and treats his subordinates. However, the things said by the Prime Minister goes against the points he made. His personal attacks against the political opponents, his encouragement of hatred against the political opponents through following trollers, encouragement of lynching’s through lack of action on offenders, encouragement of terrorism through providing electoral space to Pragya Sadvhvi, narcistic personality and concentration of powers display a completely different thing.

So contrary to what you said, you were only doing a political interview. You were playing a hide and seek game. You were hiding the burning issues bothering the citizens of the country – Jobs, Unemployment, Lynching’s, Demonetisation, Rafael. On the other hand you were seeking to explore aspects of Prime Ministers personal life which makes little sense to Public life. His style of eating mangoes, way of dealing with cold, sleeping lesser number of hours, style of wearing watch – means little for the people.

By an Indian Citizen

Courtesy: Counter Current

The post Akshay Kumar Interview with the Prime Minister: An Apolitical Political Interview appeared first on SabrangIndia.