Gujral Seeks Sangmas Nod To Introduce Broadcast Bill On Friday

The deadlock between Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma and the government over the introduction of the Broadcasting Bill was resolved yesterday when Prime Minister IK Gujral personally requested Sangma to allow the government to introduce the bill on Friday.

Gujral, who is in Male to attend the SAARC conference, talked to Sangma on the telephone and requested him to allow the government to introduce the bill in this session itself, according to one of Sangmas aides. Gujral is expected to return on Wednesday night. Sangmas statement on Monday, that the government would be unable to introduce the broadcast bill this session, as it was not taken up for consideration at the Lok Sabhas business advisory committee (BAC) meeting, created problems for information and broadcasting minister S Jaipal Reddy. He had declared his intention to introduce the bill this session.

Parliamentary affairs minister Srikant Jena, who could not attend the BAC meeting, as he missed his flight from Bhubaneshwar, also persuaded Sangma to allow Reddy to introduce the bill. It is learnt that Reddy, who is close to the Prime Minister, got in touch with Gujral to resolve the issue.

The Bill, after its introduction, would be referred to the parliamentary standing committee on communication, which is headed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee.

Reddy would have surely faced embarrassment had he failed to introduce the bill after declaring his intention to the media. Reddy also wanted to take credit for introducing a bill which he describes as revolutionary, a leader close to him said.

Earlier, Sangma had said that he had finalised business for every minute of the next four days in the Lok Sabha and that the broadcast bill was not listed in the government business.

Broadcast bill is not coming, he had said. At the BAC, when there was no information whether the government would bring the broadcasting bill or not, Sangma commented that perhaps, the new information and broadcasting minister would take some time to settle down.

US, British envoys meet Reddy

Our Political Bureau NEW DELHI

American ambassador Frank Wisner and British high commissioner David Gore-Booth met the new Information and broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy over the last two days to exchange views over the new Broadcast Bill, being introduced in Parliament on Friday. According to a Dal leader close to Reddy, Wisner called on the minister on Monday and Gore-Booth on Tuesday. Reddy invited ministry officials to be present at the meeting.

According to an official source close to Reddy, there was no discussion on specific issues. However, the diplomats assured the minister on the awareness and sensitivity of foreign media to Indian cultural concerns. To this, the minister is reported to have replied that the Indian concern was not something unique. It was only reflecting in its own context what American President Bill Clinton, vice president Bob Dole and British leaders have been expressing in their own countries.