Bhubaneswar: Opposition Congress and BJP today demanded the Odisha government to allow journalists into Lokaseva Bhavan and Odisha Assembly press gallery and lobby for news coverage.
Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra raised the issue during Zero Hour in the House and said: “Media is the fourth pillar of democracy. However, they have been denied entry into the state Secretariat or Lokaseva Bhavan and Assembly lobby, which is detrimental to democracy.”
Why has the government restricted the entry of media into the Lokaseva Bhavan and assembly lobby? he asked. It is needed for a journalist to talk to the MLAs and collect information from them during the Assembly sessions, Mishra said outside the House.
Joining Mishra, BJP chief whip Mohan Majhi said, “It is true that the journalists are maintaining neutrality. The Covid-19 situation has also improved a lot and the Centre has also revoked the restrictions imposed during the pandemic.”
Let’s allow the journalists to enter the Assembly press gallery and Lokaseva Bhavan to cover news, Majhi demanded in the House.
Commenting on this issue outside the House, Information and Public Relation Minister Raghunandan Das said this matter comes under the purview of the Home Minister.
“Though the Home Minister has not made any specific statement on this issue in the House, I hope this issue will be resolved soon,” Das said.
Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state government has imposed restrictions on the entry of journalists into the Secretariat or Lok Seva Bhawan and the order still continued even though the situation has improved significantly.
