The award ceremony could be seen as a bid to divide media fraternity in West Bengal which has been facing communal tensions for last several months
IndiaTomorrow.net
Kolkata, May 10: In a move seemingly part of Sangh Parivar’s plan to spread its tentacles in West Bengal, an outfit affiliated with RSS has announced to felicitate some “nationalist journalists” in the state. The award ceremony will be held on the birth anniversary of Narada, the Hindu mythological figure who is considered “the world’s first journalist” according RSS.
The Kolkata chapter of RSS-backed Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK) is organizing the program on May 13. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has been invited to attend the program. Manmohan Vaidya, the RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh, is also scheduled to attend it.
Giving hint about “nationalist journalists” to be awarded, Biplab Roy, the convener of VSK and RSS spokesperson, south Bengal said the journalists like those who reported Kaliachak and Dhulagarh incidents should be respected.
“The courage showed by journalists in Kaliachak and Dhulagarh should be respected. They endure hardships and face violence to report the truth… True journalism always strengthens nationalism,” Biplab Roy was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
On 13th December, 2016, in a small town Dhulagarh near Howrah district communal tension erupted on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi, where many houses and shops belonging to Hindus, Dalits and Muslims were razed by agitating mobs.
On 3rd January this year, a mob had burnt a police station in Kaliachak town located in Malda district. The mob was angry over remarks made by a Hindu Mahasabha leader who allegedly insulted Prophet Mohammad.
Following both the incidents, RSS political wing Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) had accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of shielding the accused, calling “appeasement politics towards a particular community” and claimed most of them were illegal Bangladeshis.
Recently, on the occasion of Ram Navmi in April, various Hindu right-wing groups affiliated to the RSS organized rallies backed by the BJP. Many of the procession rallies included motor bikers chanting “Jai Sri Ram” and “Har Har Mahadev” and children carrying swords, tridents, bows and arrows. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh himself led a rally holding a sword in a procession within his constituency in Kharagpur. WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had slammed BJP over communally inciting rallies during Ram Navmi celebrations.
Vishwa Samvad Kendra having chapters across the country was established in 1994, to deal media and journalism. A committee formed by VSK shortlist journalists for the award annually.
The award ceremony could be seen as a bid to divide media fraternity in West Bengal which has been facing communal tensions for last several months.
