No intention to regulate media: Manish Tewari

Manish Tewari, who today took charge as Information and Broadcasting minister, said his ministry's job was not to regulate the media, but to ensure a level-playing field for everyone and highlight the policies of the central government.

"I think at the end of the day, as I earlier pointed out, that this ministry or given the nature of the medium, we don't really have a regulatory remit. We have a remit which is essentially to see that the ground rules are properly laid out. Everybody has a level playing field to play on, so that there is no let or favour," Tewari said.

"And number two, to see that the policies and programmes of the UPA government get disseminated. So I think those are the essential two remits that we have," he said.

He was asked if he had his hands full as a lot of media coverage was perceived as negative towards the government.

Asked about reports that certain party leaders were not happy with the reshuffle, he said, "In so far as the first question is concerned, that is above my pay grade because the contours of cabinet reshuffle is something which falls squarely within the remit of the Congress President and the Prime Minister.

"The Congress President being the chairperson of the UPA, it is the process which is thought through. So I don't think it would be appropriate for me to really be commenting on that," he said.

Tewari also refrained from taking on India Against Corruption's Arvind Kejriwal who had said that corrupt had been rewarded in the reshuffle.

"In so far as the gentleman in question that you referred to, I do not want to start my first day in office on a very very adversarial note but I think it will suffice to say my view on this particular subject and the approach that they adopt is very very well known to all of you," he said.