After BJP, now it’s Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who had slammed Press Council of India Chairman Justice Markandey Katju on Wednesday over his comments on limited press freedom in Bihar.
“Mr Katju you’ve dialled wrong number,” said visibly upset Nitish Kumar at Bihar assembly. He called Katju’s remarks are “biased and motivated”.
“Mr Katju says all kind of things about state, and particularly me. I kept silent as it is not my habit to spar with any authority who enjoys such quasi-judicial power. But enough is enough… Mr Katju has crossed the lines and attacked me without substance,” Nitish Kumar said.
“You issue a statement first and then you order an inquiry, and after the so-called inquiry committee submits the report, you decide to leak it out from your own email id without getting it passed from full Press Council of India which has been the practice so far. Just because you’re the grandson of eminent jurist Kailash Katju about whom we grown up reading and I’m the son of a vaidya (an Ayurvedic practitioner) you will say all kind of things. What kind of justice it is?” Nitish Kumar further said.
Recently Justice Katju visited Bihar and criticise the government by saying that there is no press freedom in Bihar. He also alleged Nitish Kumar government for denying advertisements to the newspapers which publish articles against chief minister.
Earlier BJP demands Justice Katju’s resignation from the post of Press Council of India Chairman after he criticises Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and questioning his prime ministerial candidature. Arun Jaitley also accused him of being biased and politically motivated.
