NEW DELHI: In a development that is likely to significantly impact the media sector, information technology, communications and parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan resigned from his post tonight. He is set to take charge as party general secretary.
The move comes just ahead of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s cabinet reshuffle slated for tomorrow. As per the information available from political sources, Mahajan will be swapping places with the current incumbent, former information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Arun Jaitley whose most recent portfolio was as Union law minister.
Rumours were flying amidst the thick air of intense political activity in the capital. There was strong speculation that I&B minister Swaraj was being shifted to parliamentary affairs. Minister of state for coals and mines Ravi Shankar Prasad was reportedly coming in to occupy Shastri Bhavan. Prasad, who is the brother-in-law of journalist turned Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla, was however, not expected to get cabinet rank. The political grape vine has it that he would be made minister of state for I&B with independent charge.
Mahajan’s move to direct party activities is seen as a clear signal that the BJP has set its sights on the upcoming state elections as well as looking ahead to the general elections due in 2004. Mahajan is one of the ruling party’s principal fund raisers.
Mahajan’s departure from the cabinet puts a question mark on the long stagnating communications convergence bill of which he was a big votary. How Mahajan’s expected replacement for this portfolio, Jaitley feels about the Bill that many have said is unworkable in its present form, should be worth watching.
Some observers also say that the case of Star India’s application for uplinking for its Star News channel may get a shot in the arm with this development. This is because it was only Mahajan’s ministry that had yet to give its comment on the note forwarded to it on the matter by I&B minister Sushma Swaraj. It is only after all the concerned ministries have given their comments the proposal can be put before the cabinet for further action.
Of course all this would be turned on its head if Swaraj also moves out of Shastri Bhavan. Then it all becomes totally unpredictable.
Tag: Atal Behari Vajpayee’s
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Mahajan, Jaitley trade places; Swaraj may move to parliamentary affairs
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Pak media authority bans Indian TV channels
MUMBAI: Looks like Pakistan’s cable fraternity is voting with their feet on the issue of banned Indian television channels – and they have just been halted in their tracks.
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman Mian Javed on Sunday ordered Pakistani cable operators to strictly observe the ban on Indian channels, reports AFP.
“We have (re)-enforced the ban as these channels do not come under the approved eligible list,” AFP quoted Javed as saying. PEMRA banned the relaying of Indian TV channels over private cable networks after the December 2001 terrorist attack on Indian Parliament, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad-backed militants.
Following the recent thaw in relations between the two neighbours, cable operators across the border had started showing Indian TV channels, which are extremely popular among Pakistanis.
For the beleaguered cable operators in Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s “hand of friendship” offer in April provided just the excuse they needed to get the Indian channels back on air. Without waiting for any government go-ahead, popular Indian channels like Star Plus, Star News, Zee Cinema, Zee Gold, Sony and B4U, reappeared in Pakistani cable TV homes and became so popular that they even began attracting Pakistani advertisements.
Aside from a ban on Indian channels, PEMRA has also imposed a ban on broadcasting Indian DVDs and VCDs over cable networks, a senior official was quoted as saying.
Reacting with dismay to the news, Cable Operator’s Association of Pakistan chairman Khalid Sheikh was quoted as saying, “We will suffer a great financial loss as people will discontinue watching cable television when they will not find Indian channels over it.”