Will Expose Surveys That Portray Bad Picture About Press Freedom In India: Javadekar

NEW DELHI: On World Press freedom day, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said that Indian media enjoy "absolute freedom", while also asserting that those surveys that tend to portray a "bad picture" about press freedom in the country will be "exposed".

Javadekar also said the media has the power to inform and enlighten people.

"Media in India enjoy absolute freedom. We will expose, sooner than later, those surveys that tend to portray bad picture about ''Freedom of Press'' in India," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, India dropped two places on a global press freedom index to be ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in the annual Reporters Without Borders analysis released last month.

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, May 3, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as the World Press Freedom Day.

Responding to Javadekar's tweet, Congress leader and former I&B minister Manish Tewari took a dig and tweeted, "Absolute Freedom NDA/BJP ''estyle''. Doesn’t Freedom of Speech & expression include the right to offend?"

The Congress alleged that the BJP is "hell bent on destroying" the fourth pillar.

BJP president J P Nadda said the press is the fourth pillar of India's democracy and plays a great role in the nation by shaping opinions and creating awareness.

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