Move to let in foreign media through the back door?

By K.K. Katyal

NEW DELHI, JUNE 20. Is there a move for bringing in the foreign media through the back door, after the front door was slammed shut and entry through transparent means was not found possible? Suspicion to this effect arises because of the strange happenings of late, in particular, the action of the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, in forwarding a representation on the subject to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology.

Not long ago, Ms. Swaraj, through her equivocal comments, was responsible for re-opening the debate on the entry of foreign news agencies and foreign newspapers into the country. It evoked a sharp reaction with powerful voices raised against letting in foreign influences in a highly sensitive area. Recognising the strength and the merit of the case against any such entry, the Government gave the assurance that the settled policy was not intended to be reviewed. The controversy ended, but those who thought that the threat of the revived bid to bring in the foreign media had been averted, may have to revise their opinion now.

That some newspaper groups had been keen on a tie-up with the publications abroad was known. That they tried to prevail upon the Government to modify its policy was a matter of record too. There was nothing wrong in it - in a democratic set- up like ours there is no bar on anyone calling for a change in government policies. However, it is a different story if efforts are made to bring about the change through indirect means when direct methods did not work.

The plea for foreign investment in the print media, so went the argument of pro-changers, is different from the entry of foreign media and that the two are not to be mixed. The present move (on investment) was initiated after the failure of the earlier bid to bring in foreign newspapers - there is no ambiguity about this sequence. As such the linkage is patent. Even otherwise there is enough circumstantial evidence to suggest that the investment plea is meant to be used to achieve the bigger objective. It, thus, becomes a thin edge of the wedge, which could not be driven in a straightforward manner.

Several questions arise. Why has the representation about foreign investment in the print media been referred to the Standing Committee on Information Technology? What happened in the Standing Committee was not known, but going by the developments outside, it was ironic that a BJP MP should have played a leading role in it. To say this is not to draw attention to the stand of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch but to the settled policy of the BJP- led coalition not to disturb the norms against the entry of foreigners in a sensitive area.

The arguments in support of the foreign investment could not have been flimsier. The move, it is pointed out, is meant to facilitate access to capital. But have there been any difficulties in the access to the domestic capital? Another point - the newspapers are to be enabled to use the latest technology. But have there been any obstacles? Does the country which prides itself as a pioneer in information technology need to give up its cherished policies to get the know-how from abroad? Investment, it is stated, is not holding. What happens in practice is not unknown - benami transactions could well obliterate the dividing line.

There is a strong case to resist the new move - in order to safeguard sensitive institutions against foreign influences.

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Section  : National
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