Tripura scribes to meet Governor on Saturday over CM's 'threat' to them
AGARTALA: With Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb not heeding to the journalists' demand to withdraw his alleged threat to them, media persons of the state will meet Governor R K Bais and submit a memorandum to him on Saturday, a senior scribe said here.
Chairman of Tripura Assembly of journalists (TAJ), Subal Kumar Dey said on Friday that the journalists had asked Deb to withdraw his "threat" to journalists within three days since September 11, the day he allegedly issued it, but he has not done so till now.
He claimed that conspiracies against the media had intensified since the day he uttered it at a programme in South Tripura district.
"So the journalists have decided to continue demanding the withdrawal of the chief minister's statement. The governor has given us time tomorrow. We will meet him and submit a memorandum in this regard," he said.
Deb, while laying the foundation stone for the first special economic zone at Sabroom in South Tripura district on September 11 had said that some newspapers are trying to confuse the people of the state about its COVID-19 situation and that he will "not forgive" them.
"Some newspapers are trying to confuse people. History will not forgive them, people of Tripura will not forgive them and I Biplab Deb will not forgive them. I do whatever I say, history is testimony to that," Deb had said.
This was construed as a threat to them by journalists and Dey, who is also president of Agartala Press Club had said the Tripura CM issuing it at a public gathering is a "matter of fear".
"We (journalists) weren't so afraid even during the Emergency," he had said.
The state, he said, is trying to reduce the media to its "slave" and government orders are being issued to choke journalists' voices.
"They (the scribes) are officially defamed on social media and the chief ministers office is involved in it," the TAJ chairman alleged.
The ruling BJP and the government are issuing regular threats to media organisations through press conferences, he claimed.